C cares, of the world

CHURCH, LOVE FOR

Poem - It isn't the church - it's you

Date: 6/2006.101

If you want to have the kind of church

Like the kind of a church you like,

You needn't slip your clothes in a grip

And start on a long, long hike.

You'll only find what you left behind,

For there's nothing really new.

It's a knock at yourself when you knock your church;

It isn't the church - it's you.

When everything seems to be going wrong,

And trouble seems everywhere brewing;

When prayer meeting, Young People's meeting and all,

Seem simmering slowly - stewing,

Just take a look at yourself and say,

"What's the use of being blue?"

Are you doing your "bit" to make things "hit"?

It isn’t the church - it’s you.

It's really strange sometimes, don’t you know,

That things go as well as they do,

When we think of the little - the very small mite -

We add to the work of the few.

We sit and stand round, and complain of what's done,

And do very little but fuss.

Are we bearing our share of the burdens to bear?

It isn't the church - it's us.

So, if you want to have the kind of a church

Like the kind of a church you like,

Put off your guile and put on your best smile,

And hike. my brother, just hike,

To work in hand that has to be done 0

The work of saving a few.

It isn’t the church that is wrong, my boy;

It isn’t the church - it's you.

CHURCH, MEMBERS OF

Church Membership

A case study in leadership discernment

Even though Serena and Santiago were not married, that did not prevent the congregation from welcoming and supporting the couple. "We don't pull back when people are in need," said the pastor. "We want to be where Jesus would be—and that's walking alongside people even in messy situations."

We ask couples in this situation to live apart, but for the man to continue to financially support the woman and his children. We point to the truth and away from worldly ways.

When Serena and Santiago expressed their appreciation for the congregation's support, it was affirming to the leaders of Hope Fellowship, who had been seeking ways to reach out to the Spanish speaking community near the church.

When little Javier was born, with misshapen legs and a compromised immune system, the congregation prayed him through the treatments and surgeries, and brought meals and baby outfits to the family and toys for older brother Pedro.

Within months Serena had committed her life to Christ and was in a women's Bible study, eager to grow in her faith. Santiago, however, did not find close connections at church. He stayed home with the boys on Sunday mornings, but he was supportive of Serena's church involvement.

Then Serena, in response to a sermon on the value of church membership, applied to become a member. When she met with the elders to share her testimony, she happily told about accepting Christ and being discipled by the women in the church to be a faithful mom to Pedro and Javier.

One of the elders asked Serena if she and Santiago planned to get married. "Oh, I would love to get married!" she said. "But Santiago says we can't afford it. I'm on Medicaid, and if we got married, his insurance premiums would more than triple. Javier still needs treatments and medical supplies. We're barely making it on Santiago's paycheck as it is. Someday we can get married, but Santiago says no way for right now."

The interview ended with the elders thanking Serena for her testimony and praying for her. They said they'd be back in touch regarding the membership process.

As they debriefed afterward, the elders realized they weren't in agreement. Some wanted to approve Serena for membership, and they emphasized:

1. She is a believer, growing in her faith.

2. No one is without sin, and while her relationship with Santiago may have started out as sin, Serena is now being faithful to her children and their father.

3. She wants to get married, but she can't if Santiago doesn't consent. And she is right not to make her children fatherless by leaving Santiago. The spirit of 1 Corinthians 7:13-17 applies here.

Those not in support of Serena's application for membership emphasized:

1. Having sex without being married is living in an ongoing sinful relationship.

2. The church cannot endorse cohabitation as acceptable for members. Endorsing her as a church member now would be a bad example and even worse as a precedent.

3. Even if they were to marry, Serena would be "unequally yoked" (2 Cor. 6:14).

A divided elder board asks you, as pastor, for your guidance. What biblical truths are most important here? What is the best decision here for both the church and for Serena and Santiago? What, if anything, can the church do to make this decision as redemptive as possible?

We asked four church leaders for their responses to this case study.

Don't Sacrifice Truth

I am encouraged by how Hope Fellowship leadership is wrestling through this together. Membership in a local church shows us who knows Jesus and wants to represent him. Membership provides a spiritual family who can support, encourage, and care for individuals in their walks with Christ (Gal. 6:1-2, Heb. 10:24-25, 1 Cor. 12:26-27).

While the church has cared for Serena and Santiago surrounding Javier's birth, it is now time to care for Serena in a different way. As followers of Jesus Christ, the church is to speak the truth to one another in love (Eph. 4:15). In the case of Serena, this means denying her membership while she lives in ongoing sin.

Does living with someone who is not her spouse and not a Christ follower represent Jesus? Scripture is filled with admonitions to flee from sexual immorality (Eph. 5:3, 1 Cor. 6:12-20, 1 Thess. 4:3-8). We also see Jesus speak in a negative light about cohabitation (John 4) with the woman at the well. Culture often follows the opposite pattern (sexually active, move in together, and maybe get married).

Ongoing cohabitation does not represent a repentant heart. Cohabitation is an ongoing sin. In John 8:11, Jesus tells the adulterous woman to "Go and sin no more." Serena does not have the option to "sin no more" unless she or Santiago moves out.

If Serena continues to do what Santiago wants and what the world offers, why would he think there is a reason to follow and obey the God she, as a believer, chooses not to follow and obey?

Even if Santiago were willing to marry Serena, I would not recommend they get married until he, too, decides to follow Jesus.

There are some tangible ways to make this a redemptive situation.

The men of Hope Fellowship can walk with and speak truth to Santiago as he explores the claims of Christ.

Hope Fellowship can also help them become wise stewards of their financial resources, potentially even removing the financial impediment to marriage.

At Watermark Community Church, we challenge couples in similar situations to move out, but for the man to continue to provide financially and help support the woman and his children in any way possible, through finances, time, and other resources. These are great discipleship opportunities, and the church has to point people toward truth and help them break away from the pattern of the world.

Consider Trajectory

Marriage is a swiftly depreciating asset in our culture. Whatever we decide, we want to hold marriage in high esteem as something God ordained for human flourishing (Gen. 2).

A church should not be harder to join than it is for someone to go to heaven. Discernment must prevail over the letter of the law.

Serena and Santiago are refraining from marriage in order to keep the insurance needed to care for their ailing child and to avoid the financial pressures that would result from marrying. We could view a future marriage either as Serena yoking herself unequally, or as ratifying the set of relationships in which she's already inextricably involved (a de facto 1 Cor 7:13-17 situation). Though they aren't bound by covenant, Serena and Santiago are bound together by virtue of their children.

We can't pretend cohabitation is God's plan or desire. Jesus clearly affirms marriage, to such an extent that he says that God himself has joined the couple that marries (Matt. 19:6).

We must also recognize that Jesus came bringing grace and truth, together (John 1:14, 17). Not truth harshly served, nor mushy compassion that ignores biblical facts. Truthfulness impedes us from fudging moral boundaries. Graciousness implores us to consider Serena's trajectory.

Serena is moving toward Jesus. Shall we insist upon the dissolution of this nuclear family for the sake of her strict adherence to the law? What happens then to Javier, or Pedro? All indicators point to a family in which the parents are moving toward marriage, and to a woman who is growing and trying to be faithful to her Lord and to the people in whom she's invested her life.

Our church is best served by allowing for members who are works in progress. (Aren't we all?) Church membership can be structured such that baptized Christians are taken as members if they are moving toward the biblical values we uphold. Trajectory is the critical consideration. People are allowed time to grow, to integrate truth, to change-without being rejected for not having arrived. This embraces the reality of process without sidestepping difficult biblical commands.

In a spirit of truth and grace, I propose we accept Serena for membership, encouraging her to continue growing to embrace and pursue biblical norms.

Help Remove Obstacles

With God's help, our efforts as a church in loving this family have helped Serena follow Jesus! Through her faith, her children's lives will never be the same!

With that said, I would invite an elder or two to go with me to share a meal with Serena and Santiago. With the other elders and leaders fasting and praying for our time with the young couple, our goals for the conversation would be the following:

1. Determine how much the insurance increase would cost the couple and offer to pay the difference for a year and pray that God will provide miraculously beyond that. This will help determine if that is truly the only thing keeping them from getting married and help demonstrate God's love for the couple in another tangible way.

2. I would like to determine the barriers keeping Santiago from following Christ in hopes of continued conversations with him to help him discover faith. In those conversations, I would want to make sure Santiago understood the importance of the entire family building the foundation of their lives on Christ.

3. I would encourage the couple to fast from having sex for a month or 40 days while they ask God for wisdom if they should get married sooner than later (1 Cor. 7:5).

At the end of the month, if their situation has not changed, I would affirm her desire for membership as a great thing while reminding her that we have proven that to be loved, cared for, discipled, and encouraged, she does not need to become a member. We will do all we can for her and family even as she is not yet ready to be a member.

If Santiago does not come to Christ, but they are willing to get married then we will help them in that process along with faith-based pre-marital counseling. Serena could then continue the process toward membership. If Santiago comes to Christ, then they can both move toward membership after they are married.

At Gateway Church in Austin and at Mosaic in Los Angeles, anyone can belong to our community no matter where they may be on their spiritual journey. Rather than using the word "membership" which implies belonging, we have shifted towards a "commissioning" for those who are investing in the lives of others. I would lead this church towards similar language. We have a wide open front door, but to become a leader requires a narrow path where those who are commissioned share our convictions and values.

A Time For Discernment

Leadership is not etched in stone. It is dynamic and so must the leaders be. "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3:6). We must ask, "What would the Lord say on this matter if it was brought to him?"

Before I say whether Serena should be allowed to join the church, consider the analogy of Noah's Ark. Noah's responsibility was not to choose which animal was to get in but to make sure that each of the species had a male and a female entering the ark, without minding their shape or characteristics.

One day I was out on a game drive with my friends in Kenya, when we bumped into a family of warthogs. My friend commented on how ugly the warthog looked. One lady said, "Only a mother and God can love this." We all laughed. As ugly as the warthog was, two of such were in Noah's ark; worse still, two skunks were too! Looking at the Ark as the church, how many animals would have been allowed into the ark if it was up to Noah? Most likely only the ones clean, safe, and easy to care for. In the church, we would rather have only clean, safe, and easy people in our congregations. But how would Jesus go about it?

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick," said Jesus. "For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt. 19:12).

Would I recommend Serena for membership? Yes, I would. A church is not a place only for the pure and holy—only heaven is. Church is a place where people come for transformation by submitting to the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the fellowship of believers. The common requirement for church membership is that one must be born-again, confessing Jesus as Savior and Lord (John 3:3, Rom. 10:9). This also is the requirement for "heaven membership." A church should not be harder to join than it is for people to enter heaven.

To me, Serena and Santiago are married people. They never married the church way or legal way, but spiritually, they are married. The Bible says, "Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, 'for the two will become one flesh'" (1 Cor. 6:16). If this is true of those who sleep with prostitutes, then Serena and Sant are certainly already united. Let the church accept her as a member as well as help Santiago come to know Christ. Later the two, with the help of the church, can formalize their marriage.

Discernment must prevail over the letter of the law.

This takes me back to Nigeria many years ago when Christian missionaries insisted that one could not join a church if he was polygamous. As a result men were forced to disown all their wives and children except the first wife. As the children and the disowned wives were suffering, Islam came in and allowed men not only to keep their wives but also to marry even more. As a result, Islam got a strong entry into Nigeria. I find myself blaming leaders for lack of discernment and misrepresenting Christ at that time in that land.

Some leaders fear the precedent this sets. This fear should be overcome. The Bible records good and bad things done by the heroes of faith. Noah. David. Moses. Paul. All their shortcomings are recorded in the Bible not for us to emulate but to learn from. I believe Serena's case may end up winning even more souls to the Lord. "Issues" and all, welcome her into church membership!

Copyright © 2014 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal.
Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.

Does Membership Matter - Encouraging a deeper commitment

There was a day when for churches, as for certain elite credit cards, "membership had its privileges," and people wanted to be members of a church. It was good for business. They liked the association. It was "my family's church," even if they didn't attend more than once a year. In such churches membership rolls were much larger than weekly attendance.

Becoming a member is a step of maturity. It's identifying with a church, believers who have made a commitment to Christ and to one another.

With the emergence of casual, come-as-you-are churches, the dynamic shifted. More people were happy to attend but not to commit themselves to anything. These congregations, not wanting to put unnecessary barriers in the way of people hearing the gospel and feeling welcome in the church, downplayed membership. In these churches, attendance is often several times the size of the actual membership.

All of this reveals the confusion about what church membership actually means. If people see church membership as just another social club or fraternity they're joining, then that's a problem. If people don't see the need to join a church, if they can attend and enjoy the services and ministries without further commitment, that's a problem too.

Becoming a member of a church is a step of maturity. It's identifying with a group of brothers and sisters who have committed themselves to Christ and to one another.

While the Bible doesn't refer to church membership in the technical sense, it certainly describes the importance of being "a member of the body." And that's the spirit of the key biblical concept of membership; it means we are vital members of a larger body. This body is both the congregation to which we belong and also the mystical (though very real) body of Christ. "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others" (Rom. 12:4-5).

There are some important by-products of this relationship.

For the church, having a clear step of membership is the church's primary opportunity to define the type of community it wants to be. It's "define the relationship" time. Every relationship that goes beyond a casual, no-expectations, just show up (or don't show up if you don't feel like it) level eventually has to have some understandings in place.

What is this community all about? What do we hope to accomplish? Who can we count on to help us? How will decisions be made? What behaviors are encouraged? What behaviors are unacceptable? How will differences be handled? These are all aspects that require people's consent. This is what the membership process clarifies.

I've appreciated what Ken Sande, who is both a church leader and a lawyer, has said about his church's membership process:

"Our first priority is making sure a person has a credible profession of faith and understanding of the gospel. We also cover the theology of the church, our polity, our vision, how we handle conflicts, and an understanding of church discipline. Finally, it is helpful to discuss expectations for members regarding giving, respecting leadership, and serving in the community. The membership process will be different in every church, but it is important to treat it as a significant event. When we treat it casually, it sends the message that membership is casual."

This issue of Leadership Journal features the insights from a number of church leaders who have wrestled with appropriate ways to emphasize the importance of being in a full relationship with the church, and how to implement that membership process.

Marshall Shelley

Trust the Lord – Humor

Date: 5/2007.101

The Bishop said, 'Trust in the Lord, Son, trust in the Lord."

In desperation, he picked up the bishop's Bible and found a nice set of typewritten notes, so he took them and preached the bishop's sermon. Everyone was amazed. The people crowded him and told him what a great sermon it was. Then came the bishop, "Young man," he said, "you preached my sermon - the one I had prepared for tonight. What am I going to do tonight?" With much dignity, the young man replied, "Trust in the Lord, bishop, just trust the Lord."

CHURCH, PRECIOUSNESS OF

The Treasures of the Church

Date: 4/2007.101

Youth Specialties - Hot Illustrations
The early church had a stormy relationship with the wicked and powerful Roman government. Cycles of severe persecution interrupted by tenuous peace recurred at the whim of the emperor. Roman officials, ignorant of the actual teachings and practices of true Christians, often acted out of bigotry, fear, superstition, or misinformation. The royal court assumed that the growing Christian church operated along the same lines as their own base and greedy religions.

The emperor, coveting the wealth these Christians must surely possess, summoned their head bishop to the royal court and ordered him to produce the treasures of the church. The frustrated bishop protested that the church had no gold, jewels, or other valuables (which was indeed true at this point in history). The emperor, brushing aside the bishop's objection, demanded that the riches of the church be brought to him in the morning. The bishop left the royal presence quietly.

The next day the bishop dutifully appeared at the palace doorway. He was empty handed. I told you to bring me the treasures of the church! the emperor raged.

The bishop then invited the emperor to look out at the palace steps. Gathered together, peering sheepishly at the great doors of the royal palace rising above them, was a mass of ragged beggars, cripples, slaves and outcasts,

These, said the bishop with a sweep of his arm, are the treasures of the church.

For his unappreciated but accurate insight, the good bishop was promptly martyred.

Where to Take It from Here...

You are the treasure of the church. The church is not a building; it is not a doctrine; it is not a program. You are the church, the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12)

CHURCH, PURPOSE OF

James Hewitt - Illustrations Unlimited

 

A CHURCH WITHOUT WORKS

 

I was naked, and you questioned my lack of modesty in my appearance. I was imprisoned, and you debated the legal aspects of interference. I was penniless, and you discussed tax-deductible donations from your wealth. I was sick, and you thanked the Lord for the blessings of your health. I was hungry, and you formed a club to study malnutrition. I was homeless, and you said God’s love was shelter under any condition. I was lonely, and you left me by myself while you and your friends prayed. You seem so holy and close to God. Yet I’m still sick and alone and afraid! Ruth M. Walsh

CHURCH, PURPOSE OF

Damn

Date: 10/2008.101

Tony Campolo tells of a story about a preacher correcting his inward looking church.

"The problem," the preacher's voice boomed, "is that people are dying all over the world and you don't give a damn!" When he punched the final word, the crowd gasped. Women looked at each other, stunned. Kids sat at attention, afraid to budge. The elders eyes one another, sending silent but understood messages, "we have to meet soon!!" The minister continued slowly and with obvious pain, "The saddest part is..." He paused and started again. "The saddest part is that most of you are more upset that I used the word damn in church than you are that people are dying and going to hell."

When was the last time you have a lost person over in your home?

How many meaningful conversations did you have with non-Christians this week?

Who are the nonbelievers you prayed for today?
CHURCH, PURPOSE OF

Evangelism

Date: 4/2007.101

Humor for Preaching & Teaching - Ed Rowell P66
A woman bought a parrot to keep her company. She took him home, but returned the bird to the store the next day. "This bird doesn't talk," she told the owner.

"Does he have a mirror in his cage?" asked the owner. "parrots love mirrors. They see themselves in the mirror and start up a conversation." The woman bought a mirror and left. The next day, she returned. The bird still wasn't talking.

"How about a ladder? Parrots love walking up and down the ladder. A happy parrot is more likely to talk." The woman bought a ladder and left. Sure enough, she was back the next day; the bird still wasn't talking.

"Does your parrot have a swing? If not that's the problem. He'll relax and talk up a storm." The woman reluctantly bought a swing and left.

When she walked into the store the next day, her countenance had changed. "The parrot died," she said. The pet store owner was shocked.

"I'm so sorry. Tell me, did he ever say a word?" he asked.

"Yes, right before he died," the woman replied. "He said, "Don't they sell any food at that pet store?"
CHURCH, PURPOSE OF

LACK OF COURAGE

James Hewitt - Illustrations Unlimited

One of the bishops attending Vatican II later shared with a few colleagues a note from his personal journal: “Wisdom everywhere, courage nowhere. Dear Lord, we are dying of prudence.”

CHURCH, SERVICE IN

Let The other do it

Date: 1/2007.101

AMG Bible Illustrations Book 1 #94
There is an incipient danger in thinking, since there are so many belonging to the Church, "Why not let George do it?" An eastern story tells of four brothers who decided to have a feast. As wine was rather expensive, they agreed that each one should bring an equal quantity and add it to the common stock. One of the brothers thought he might escape making his contribution by bringing water instead of wine. "It won't be noticed in the common wine jar," he reasoned. But when at the feast, the wine was poured out, it turned out not to be wine at all but plain water. All four brothers had thought alike. Each one had said, "Let the other do it."
CHURCH, SERVICE IN

Someone Else

Date: 1/2007.101

12 Oct 2008 DCFC English "We have a dream..." Eph 4:11-13 - Candle in the Darkness

The church was bowed in grief this week to learn that one of our most valuable members. Someone Else, passed away. This death creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Someone Else has been with us for many years. During all these years, he did far more than a normal person's share of the work. Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results.

Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach or a meeting to attend - one name was on everyone's list: "Let Someone Else do it."

Someone Else was also among the largest givers of the church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed that Someone Else would make up the difference.

This beloved church member was a wonderful person, sometimes appearing superhuman; but a person can only do so much. Everyone expected too much of Someone Else. Now Someone Else is gone. Who will pitch in to do the things that Someone Else has done? If you are asked to take a job in church, we hope you won't reply, "Let Someone Else do it." Now we need you to pick up where Someone Else left off.
CHURCH, SERVING IN

Doing your part

June 17 2012 DCFC English [Worship Acceptable to God] Mal 3:6-12 A call to trust in a faithful God

There is a story about a guy who came to church with his family. As they were driving home afterwards he was complaining about everything. He said, “The music was too loud. The sermon was too long. The announcements were unclear. The building was hot. The people were unfriendly.” He went on & on, complaining about virtually everything. Finally, his very observant son said, “Dad, you’ve got to admit it wasn’t a bad show for just a dollar.”
CHURCH, SERVING IN

Pot of Wine

June 17 2012 DCFC English [Worship Acceptable to God] Mal 3:6-12 A call to trust in a faithful God

There was an old story a king that was coming to visit a certain land. The people in the land were so excited that a king would grace their little village with his presence. They wanted to find a way to honor him, and decided to do so by giving him the best of their wine. Every person was to bring one cup of their best wine from home and they would all put it in one big pot, and when the king came he would taste the best wine from all the people. One person thought if everyone else is bringing their best then I could bring water, it won’t make a bit of difference with hundreds of others bringing their best. When the king arrived and tasted the wine, he discovered that it was all water. The king was not honored.
CHURCH, SERVING IN

The Little boy who wanted to fight fires

Date: 8/2007.101

Intense Illustrations - Jim Burns & Mike Devries P69
Once there was a little boy who ever since he could remember wanted to be a fireman. The shrill of the siren and deep rumble of the racing fire truck had filled his dreams almost every night. Deep in his heart there was a longing to someday be able to help people, to save people from the ravaging grasp of fire. It was not the whim of childhood fantasy; his was the unmistakable call of destiny.

Growing up never changed his mind. To be sure, he had gone through all the indecisions and doubts of adolescence, the well meaning questions of friends and family who wondered whether he could be happy as a fireman. But he never wavered. He was meant to be a fireman. He was meant to put out fires. Oh how he longed for the day when he would no longer be a spectator but could participate actively as a firefighter.

Finally the big day came when he could take the first real step to fulfill his lifelong dream arrived: He was accepted at one of the best firefighter schools in the country. His teachers were world renowned. For three years, he immersed himself in his schooling. he spent hours honing his skills on practice fires. he studied firefighting theory long into the nights. Still, after all these years, he had never fought a real fire. As graduation approached, however, he realized that long-awaited moment was within reach.

Suddenly he began to have doubts. For the first time in his life, he was unsure, afraid and worse yet, questioning whether he ought to be a fireman at all. It was then that one of his professors suggested he travel to Europe and study under one of the greatest fireman theorists of all time, He would be recommended by his professors and would receive the finest training available. It would last for two years.

The not-so-little boy decided to travel to Europe and for 2 years, he exhausted himself in dedicated study and became one of the most brilliantly educated firemen in the world. But all he had ever done was put out practice fires. Once again, graduation loomed before him and once again he was haunted by indecision. he knew all about fires and could tell anyone how to fight one; in fact, he knew so much, he began to feel that his superior knowledge did in fact place him a notch above the ordinary firemen. He became increasingly concerned that he might have to fight fires with uneducated firemen which could result in him being exposed to unnecessary danger.

It was then that he was offered a position to teach at one of the most respected firemen schools in the country. he accepted and for 25 years he taught with honor, receiving worldwide recognition. When he died sometime later, someone found the memoirs he had written on his death bed. In them was this strange passage:

I lie here today reviewing my life. I still remember my dream, my passion to be a fireman. More than anything else I wanted to put out fires, but I realized something today. I have never put out a real fire. never.

CHURCH, STRIFE IN

CHURCH FIGHTS

12 June 2010 DCFC English Worship – [Extreme Makeover: Church Edition] 1 Cor 3:5-17 Rethinking the Ministry

03 April 2016 QBC Chinese [Pace – Importance of the Word] Eph 4:1-16

01 May 2016 QBC English [Pace – Importance of the Word] Eph 4:1-16

 

James Hewitt - Illustrations Unlimited

  

It often seems that the church is a place for contention, which seems to turn some people away. But some see fighting in the church as a healthy sign that people care enough to invest the energy in fighting. A few years ago two ministers got into a fight about what they considered to be an important doctrinal matter. They settled the fight when the first minister told the second: “Look, what are we fighting over? We’re both striving to do the Lord’s work. You do it your way and I’ll do it His way!”

CHURCH, STRIFE IN

Making Music Together

Date: 10/2007.101

14 Mar 2010 DCFC English Worship – [Building a Community in Christ] Eph 4:1-16 How does the Church grow?

2-4 Apr 2010 ACBC Revival Meeting (Mandarin) – [Growing in Love, Building the Church] Eph 4:1-16 The Growth of the Church

03 April 2016 QBC Chinese [Pace – Importance of the Word] Eph 4:1-16

01 May 2016 QBC English [Pace – Importance of the Word] Eph 4:1-16

Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching - Leadership Journal - Ed Rowell P106
The Atlantic Monthly (11/94) told about superstar tenors Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti performing together in Los Angeles. A reporter tried to press the issue of competitiveness between the three men. "You have to put all your concentration into opening your heart to the music," Domingo said. "You can't be rivals when you're together making music."

That's also true in the church

CHURCH, STRIFE IN

Me Too!

Date: 4/2007.101

Youth Specialties - Hot Illustrations

14 Mar 2010 DCFC English Worship – [Building a Community in Christ] Eph 4:1-16 How does the Church grow?

2-4 Apr 2010 ACBC Revival Meeting (Mandarin) – [Growing in Love, Building the Church] Eph 4:1-16 The Growth of the Church

03 April 2016 QBC Chinese [Pace – Importance of the Word] Eph 4:1-16

01 May 2016 QBC English [Pace – Importance of the Word] Eph 4:1-16

A man was standing by the bridge when he saw a second man about to commit suicide by jumping from a high bridge. “Stop! Stop! Don't do it!” shouted the first man. “But I have nothing to live for,” said the second man. “Maybe I can help you,” the first man offered. “Are you religious?” asked the first man. “Yes I am!” replied the second. “Me too!” said the first. “Are you a Christian, Jewish, or Moslem?” “I'm Christian,” replied the second man. “Me too!” said the first man. “Are you Protestant or Catholic?” “I'm a Protestant,” replied the second man. “Me too! Are you Calvinist or Wesleyan?” “Calvinist,” replied the second man. “Me too! Are you liberal or conservative?” “Conservative, of course” replied the second man. “Me too! Evangelical or Fundamentalist?” “Evangelical,” replied the second man. “Me too! Charismatic, Reformed, or Baptist?” “Baptist,” replied the second man. “Me too!” said the first. “General Baptist, Conference Baptist, or Northern Baptist?” “Conference Baptist,” replied the second man. “Me too!” said the first man excitedly. “Conference Baptist of the 1932 Conference, or Conference Baptist of the 1946 Conference?” “Conference Baptist of the 1932 Conference!” replied the second man with a wide smile. “1932?” exclaimed the first man. “Then die, infidel heretic scum!” And the first man pushed the second man off the bridge.

Where to Take It from Here...

To categorize and stereotype each other is to hurt each other. When we spend our energy looking for what makes us different, instead of recognizing that God loves us all, we ignore God's command to love each other as we have been loved by God. Regardless of the labels we wear, we are all God's children, created in his image.

CHURCH, STRIFE IN

It Really Didn’t Matter

Charles Colson

The young people at Shively Christian Church, led at the time by Youth Pastor Dave Stone, were fiercely competitive with their neighbor, Shively Baptist, in all things, especially soft-ball. They were also serious about their Christianity, faithfully attending the summer Bible camp led by the youth pastor.

One week the Bible lesson was about Jesus washing His dis­ciples' feet, from John 13. To make the servanthood lesson stick, Pastor Stone divided the kids into groups and told them to go out and find a practical way to be servants.

"I want you to be Jesus in the city for the next two hours " he said. "If Jesus were here, what would He do? Figure out how He would help people."

Two hours later the kids reconvened in Pastor Stone's living room to report what they had done.

One group had done two hours of yard work for an elderly man. Another group bought ice cream treats and delivered them to sev­eral widows in the church. A third group visited a church member in the hospital and gave him a card. Another group went to a nurs­ing home and sang Christmas carols—yes, Christmas carols in the middle of August. One elderly resident remarked that it was the warmest Christmas she could remember.

But when the fifth group stood up and reported what they had done, everyone groaned. This group had made its way to none other than their arch rival, Shively Baptist, where they had asked the pastor if he knew someone who needed help. The pastor sent them to the home of an elderly woman who needed yard work done. There, for two hours, they mowed grass, raked the yard, and trimmed hedges.

When they were getting ready to leave, the woman called the group together and thanked them for their hard work. "I don't

"Shively Baptist!" interrupted Pastor Stone. "I sure hope you set her straight and told her you were from Shively Christian Church."

"Why, no, we didn't," the kids said. We didn't think it mattered."

CHURCH, WHAT IT IS

CHURCH, WHAT IS

Body - Jimmy Durante

There's a wonderful story about Jimmy Durante, one of the great entertainers of a generation ago. He was asked to be a part of a show for World War II veterans. He told them his schedule was very busy and he could afford only a few minutes, but if they wouldn't mind his doing one short monologue and immedi­ately leaving for his next appointment, he would come. Of course, the show's director agreed happily.

But when Jimmy got on stage, something interesting happened. He went through the short monologue and then stayed. The applause grew louder and louder and he kept staying. Pretty soon, he had been on fifteen, twenty, then thirty minutes. Finally, he took a last bow and left the stage. Backstage someone stopped him and said, "I thought you had to go after a few minutes. What hap­pened?"

Jimmy answered, "I did have to go, but I can show you the rea­son I stayed. You can see for yourself if you'll look on the front row." In the front row were two men, each of whom had lost an arm in the war. One had lost his right arm and the other had lost his left. Together, they were able to clap, and that's exactly what they were doing, loudly and cheerfully.

CHURCH, WHAT IS

Church is not for me

August 13 2017 – QBC Chi [Christ & Community] Ro 12:1-8 Belonging to one body

Sept 10 2017 – QBC Eng [Christ & Community] Ro 12:1-8 Belonging to one body

Amy Ji shares this story of her experience in youth ministry. “After six years, I was annoyed with the whole Sunday school affair. Crazy action songs, kiddy puppet Bible stories. Even sweets for reciting the week’s memory verse no longer appealed to me. Youth ministry on the other hand sounds promising. The song they sung were loud and lively, they dressed well and sang passionately. In short, I thought they were very cool. But finally when I was old enough to go to youth ministry, it took me only three weeks to conclude: I hated the youth ministry. In the first week, the girls sitting behind me “whispered” nasty comments to each other about me. The second week a friend of mine got a boyfriend and abandoned me. In the third week, I overheard youth leaders discussing how to “deal” with the “hyperactive” me! I wasn’t the right fit for this youth ministry! I left in tears. A couple of months later, I had run out of excuses for not attending the youth service. Rather than incurring my mother’s wrath, I began visiting other church services that were being held at the same time. This went on for a year and a half. But I realize the cycle kept repeating itself. Visiting a new church, making new friends, discovering problems! This not only on my self confidence, but affected my belief in God. What was new and exciting at first became exhausting, to the point that I started to consider giving up my faith entirely. It was at this juncture that a youth leader from my home church invited me to a camp. Although I was struggling in my faith journey, I decided to go. One night, during the worship service, we sat in silence. After 30 minutes of trying not to fall asleep, suddenly these numbers appeared in my mind “27” and “4”. I had no idea which book I was supposed to flip to, so I went to the Psalms. Ps 27:4, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. As I read these words, I immediately felt rebuked. Why did I go to church in the first place? Whom did I go to see? Whom did I worship? What did I truly seek? Before I knew it, my eyes welled up with tears. That night I confessed my self centeredness and my pride to my group leader. I also sought forgiveness from God for my bitterness I had against those whom I felt had criticized or abandoned me. That episode taught me that church is not instituted to serve my needs or meet my desires! The very next week, I went back to my home church to serve as a small group leader in the youth ministry. I have been serving there ever since, 15 years and counting!

Francis Chan

Francis Chan Goes Into Detail With Facebook Employees on Why He Left His Megachurch

Bestselling author Francis Chan recently exposed his heart to Facebook employees, detailing why he left the helm of his thriving megachurch in California seven years ago.

Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, was drawing around 5,000 people and growing in 2010. But Chan felt the megachurch he founded was not as God intended it to be.

"I got frustrated at a point, just biblically," Chan said during a talk at the Facebook headquarters in California last Thursday. "I'm going wait a second. According to the Bible, every single one of these people has a supernatural gift that's meant to be used for the body. And I'm like 5,000 people show up every week to hear my gift, see my gift. That's a lot of waste. Then I started thinking how much does it cost to run this thing? Millions of dollars!"

"So I'm wasting the human resource of these people that according to Scripture have a miraculous gift that they could contribute to the body but they're just sitting there quietly. … [T]hey just sit there and listen to me."

Moreover, he felt the church wasn't following God's command to love one another — attendees would simply greet each other for 30 seconds and mainly hang out in cliques once a week.

"I was like, 'God, you wanted a church that was known for their love. You wanted a group of people where everyone was expressing their gifts. … We're a body. I'm one member, maybe I'm the mouth. But if the mouth is the only thing that's working and … I'm trying to drag the rest of the body along, chewing on the carpet …"

His decision in 2010 to leave Cornerstone — which he started in his living room — came as a shock to many, including fellow evangelical pastors. In his announcement to the congregation at that time, he said he had been feeling a restlessness and stirring to let go of the megachurch and take on a new adventure.

He also indicated that he was wary of being "comfortable."

In his talk at Facebook last week, he offered more details about why he made that decision to leave, including a desire to get away from the pride he began to feel as his book, Crazy Love, became a bestseller and as he became a popular sought-after speaker.

"I freaked out during that time in my life," Chan recalled. "The pride … [going to] a conference and seeing my face on a magazine … and hearing whispers … and walking in the room and actually liking it."

At one point, Chan felt convicted and realized he became everything he didn't want to be. "Everything you (God) said you hated, that's me right now," he realized. "I gotta get out of here. I'm losing my soul."

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Wanting to hide from "that weird celebrity thing," he also realized that he missed the old Francis Chan — "that stupid kid who fell in love with Jesus in high school and starts calling everyone in the yearbook that he knew to tell them about Jesus because he was so concerned about their eternal destiny."

Chan stressed to the Facebook group that God hates pride and that one can easily lose humility.

Today, Chan leads a house church movement in San Francisco called We Are Church. There are currently 14 to 15 house churches, he said, and 30 pastors (two pastors per church) — all of whom do it for free. Each church is designed to be small so it's more like family where members can actually get to know one another, love one another and make use of their gifts.

"We've got a few hundred people now and it costs nothing," Chan explained. "And everyone's growing and everyone's having to read this book (Bible) for themselves and people actually caring for one another. I don't even preach. They just meet in their homes, they study, they pray, they care for one another. They're becoming the church and I'm just loving it and realizing that these 30 guys [are] leading this and the women as well."

The people who join include "guys coming off the streets, out of prison to doctors and people that work here (Facebook) or Google," he said.

He's hoping to double the number of house churches every year so that in 10 years, there would be 1.2 million people in We Are Church. And, he reiterated, it's all free.

How would he compare the megachurch he once led to the current house church movement?

"This one guy put it like this: It's like being adopted rather than being in an orphanage," Chan said. "Church the way I was doing was like an orphanage. Here's just a bunch of kids with one leader. And rather than saying 'No, you know what, we're going to put you in a home and these guys are going to actually know you and love you and care for you.'

"It's just like family."

Recalling a sober moment he had while at Cornerstone Church, Chan said he baptized a kid from a gang but that kid later left though he was quite involved in the church.

"One of my friends asked him, 'Hey, how come you're not at Cornerstone anymore?' He said 'I didn't understand church. When I was baptized, I thought that was going to be being jumped into the gang where it's like 24/7 they're my family, because I didn't know it was just somewhere we attend on Sundays."

When Chan heard that, he said it made him sick.

"That makes me so sick that the gangs are a better picture of family than the church of Jesus Christ. I can't live with that. … We're going to do something different."

While Chan said he loves what he's doing now, he admitted that it wasn't easy and that his former gig at the megachurch was easier in some aspects.

"Some days I think it was a lot easier when I could just preach, go back and drive off in my car and leave all of them like I will today," he said to laughter among the Facebook employees. "I don't have to care for your issues, you know? … I'll never see you again.

"This is easy. But you have this circle here and you're in each other's lives and no offense, it's not this Facebook — I can just put up what I want about myself. That's kind of like the way church was. It's like let me just show you this one side on Sunday morning and let me just show you the best pictures of me and my greatest accomplishments.

"But when it's family, it gets messy. And you start finding out people's dirt. Just like you know about your brother and sister every Thanksgiving. It's messy because it's family. That's what Christ wanted. And so we fight for it. And it's been a blast."

As for what he does with all the money he earns through his bestselling books, Chan said he gives it all away.

He had prayed to God years ago, saying he was frustrated with the rich people in church who only give 5 to 10 percent of their money to church while living off millions. He prayed that God would either raise up a new generation of rich people who would actually live for eternity and give all their money away or make him rich.

"I'll give it all away to show that you're better than all of that," Chan remembered praying. So when he surprisingly made a million dollars the next year through his book and continued to make more over the following years, he signed it all over to a charitable gift fund "so that I can't even touch it. I can't even buy lunch with the money … I can only give to charity.

"It's been the best thing. Now I spend my days going and looking where are the needs around the world and how can I contribute to it?"

http://www.christianpost.com/news/francis-chan-goes-into-detail-with-facebook-employees-on-why-he-left-his-megachurch-190136/

Small is large

http://philipyancey.com/small-is-large

August 13 2017 – QBC Chi [Christ & Community] Ro 12:1-8 Belonging to one body

Sept 10 2017 – QBC Eng [Christ & Community] Ro 12:1-8 Belonging to one body

I’ll say one thing for megachurches: they can afford quality.  The sermon was both entertaining and insightful, the super-loud music flawless (I declined the earplugs that were considerately offered at the welcome booth), and those parking volunteers got us in and out in record time.

Yet the majority of Americans, like me, still attend churches with less than 200 members.  We show up on Sundays to hear less entertaining sermons and less professional music—though we have no trouble finding a parking place.  Why?  Smaller towns don’t have the option of megachurches, of course, and big crowds make some people nervous.  I found one more reason when I came across this paradoxical observation in G. K. Chesterton’s book Heretics:

The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world…. The reason is obvious.  In a large community we can choose our companions.  In a small community our companions are chosen for us.

Precisely!  Given a choice, I tend to hang out with folks like me: people who have college degrees, drink dark roast coffee, listen to classical music, and buy their cars based on EPA gas mileage ratings.  Yet after a while I get bored with people like me.  Smaller groups (and smaller churches) force me to rub shoulders with everybody else.

Henri Nouwen defines “community” as the place where the person you least want to live with always lives.  Often we surround ourselves with the people we most want to live with, which forms a club or a clique, not a community.  Anyone can form a club; it takes grace, shared vision, and hard work to form a community.

The Christian church was the first institution in history to bring together on equal footing Jews and Gentiles, men and women, slaves and free.  The Apostle Paul waxed eloquent on this “mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God.”  By forming a community out of diverse members, Paul said, we have the opportunity to capture the attention of the world and even the supernatural world beyond.  (Ephesians 3:9-10)

In some ways the church has sadly failed in this assignment.  (Yes, Billy Graham, 11 o’clock Sunday is still the most segregated hour in America.)  But even monochrome churches show diversity in age, education, and economic class.  Church is the one place I visit that brings together generations: infants still held at their mothers’ breasts, children who squirm and giggle at all the wrong times, responsible adults who know how to act appropriately at all times, and senior citizens who may drift asleep if the preacher drones on too long.

I know one megachurch that tries to seat people based on their commonality: senior citizens down front where they can hear better, single adults over there where they can meet each other, families with young children in the back where they can exit quickly if the kids make noise.  That strikes me as all wrong.  I deliberately seek a congregation comprising people not like me, and I find such people less avoidable in smaller churches.

hesterton’s insight about small communities appears in a chapter on “The Institution of the Family,” which gives a whole new slant on family values.  “The common defence of the family,” he writes, “is that, amid the stress and fickleness of life it is peaceful, pleasant, and at one.  But there is another defence of the family which is possible, and to me evident; this defence is that the family is not peaceful and not pleasant and not at one.”

The smallest units in society, families offer an ideal laboratory in which to test out Chesterton’s principle that “the smaller the community, the larger the world.”  Reflecting on my own family’s reunions, I must agree that the institution of the family forces me into close contact with characters I would otherwise avoid.  I have no choice about such encounters; we share a gene pool.

Several of my family members have served stints in prison.  Some carry on feuds that go back generations.  A few spin elaborate tales to cover up unwed pregnancies.  Geographically, my family extends from Philadelphia to San Jose to Australia.  It includes a drug addict and a professional football player with an estranged gay son, a Ph.D. in Philosophy as well as several who never graduated from high school.  Methodists, Church of Christ, Unitarian/Universalists, Independent Baptists, atheists─they all come together at our reunions.

I have learned more about grace, forgiveness, diversity─and, yes, social deviance─from my family than from all the theology books I have read.  Chesterton’s point, exactly.  Troublesome issues like divorce and homosexuality take on a different cast when you confront them not in a state legislature but at a family reunion.

Those Christians who trumpet “family values” need to make clear that we are not proposing a lobotomized society of Stepford wives and their offspring.  We recognize that families consist of imperfect human beings.  We simply contend that the family, the smallest social unit, represents a good place to confront those imperfections.

Some commentators have attacked the entire institution, blaming society’s problems on the dysfunctions of the family.  Such jeremiads miss the point: family is not a perfect institution by any means but simply a place that accepts its members on a single criterion, shared DNA.  From such a tiny group we can learn the principles of true community needed in larger groups.

We have many examples of what happens when enlightened people get together and devise large institutions to improve on the family.  These social engineers want everyone to be alike, sharing common values and beliefs.  Consider extreme versions of the “politically correct” movement on university campuses.  Consider the thought police in Communist North Korea.  Making people more like they “ought to be” is the great experiment of modern times.

Any parent could tell you that making just one child more like he or she “ought to be” is a dicey proposition at best.  If the smallest unit in society has trouble reforming individuals, should we trust the largest institution, the government?  Better to work things out in small communities, where we may have less choice about our companions─but so does everyone else.

Small group & Community

This desire to know and be known, this desire for community is something innate. It something we cannot deny because it is based on who God is. We are made in the image of God, the imago Dei. So what is God like? The very nature of God is the Trinity and that reflects community. Three persons with one essence that is the very essence of God and a doctrine that Paul repeats throughout his writings, especially in this book! Our identity as Christians, as the Church is build upon the Triune nature of God. So being made in the image of God, we too desire community and God has chosen the Church to reflect this community. Not only that, the incarnation of Christ, itself is an act of community. Christ became man, became flesh, became like us, to model community for us. So brothers and sisters, Church must be a place where you do not stand alone. It must be a place where you are held accountable. So it is absurd to view ourselves as individual Christians, relating only to Christ and not to each other. It is wrong to come to this place and not get connected with others – this is not Church!

We aim to build authentic community through small groups. We believe in the small group, it is a place where you can connect and build genuine relationships, that is a place where you can know and be known, a place where you serve and are served, a place where you love and are loved. It will be such a waste, if you to this place week-in and week-out and never experience community and never experience Church. Church is family.

 
CHURCH, WHAT IT IS

This is Church - Self

August 20 2017 – QBC Chi [Christ & Community] Ro 12:9-13 Loving body

Sept 10 2017 – QBC Eng [Christ & Community] Ro 12:9-13 Loving body

After I became a Christian, one of the best thing I experienced is church community! Especially when you go through trying times, church was especially sweet. As a young Christian, I struggled with some relationship issue and I had brothers who would meet up with me and talk. We would climb up to the roof of my hostel and he would play the guitar and we would be worshipping God under the moonlit sky. This is not just going to church, this is being church! When I was struggling as a young pastor, I had a community who gave my space to unload and prayed with me! Reminding me that despite all these challenges, my hope is in Christ. It is not I who can change lives, but Christ! He bears the burden of His ministry! I have been praying with them almost weekly for the last 10 years. I would not have survived in ministry without this community! This is not just going to church, this is being church! When my daughter had the blood issue at 18 months old, we were devastated! At one point we isolated ourselves at home because Kara’s immune system was down. But people turned up with food on our door steps – they didn’t come in or disturb us – just left it there. Somebody came up with a roster of cooking for us! Till this day, I know not who! And many people prayed for us – devoted to prayer and I was grateful beyond words to know that people care enough to bring our needs before the throne of our heavenly Father – to utter words when we had none! To demonstrate faith when we could not! Friends, this is not just going to church, this is church! At QBC, we are thankful for God’s provision of community who took us in when we just moved back into as strangers, treated us as family. I am truly thankful for a great bunch of young adults who care of our kids – you showed generosity and hospitality! This is not just going to church, this is being the church.

We are the church

August 20 2017 – QBC Chi [Christ & Community] Ro 12:9-13 Loving body

Sept 17 2017 – QBC Eng [Christ & Community] Ro 12:9-13 Loving body

Rafael Zhang’s article titled “The day I walked out of church” – It wasn’t so much a day as it was years, that I was feeling tired. But I did not get down to examining why. I felt that way. Finally one day in 2011, I decided to leave my cell and my church. That year, I was doing my final year paper in XXX. I was stressed out and overwhelmed and the XX of going to church finally got to me. XX, I felt relief after I stopped going to church. I remember waking up on Sunday mornings and realized that I could sleep in and not have to rush … to be on time for morning service. Not attending cell groups also meant I could use the time to do other things. I had so much more free time to myself. And I didn’t miss going to cell group at all.
“As I left church, church came to me. In a form of two groups of Christians. We hung out, enjoyed one another’s company, celebrated one another’s birthdays. They gently encouraged me to go back to church without pushing me beyond what I was ready. They gave me space to work through my issues. Yet each time we met, I felt God’s presence through the love of the people showed to me. I felt accepted and embraced by them. During one of these meet up, someone asked me what it was like not going to church. I told them frankly about relief and freedom. But by this time, I was more objective about my issues. It was not cell group or church that was the problem, but my approach. I realized that I lost sight of the truth that going to cell group or church should be an expression of my love for God and His people, instead of being religious about it. Over time, I decided to go back to church and my old cell group. I made a commitment to love and serve them because they were the family God as called me to. I decided to be a blessing to them. I do this not because I want to earn God’s love but because I had experienced his love first. I have learned that going to church gives me opportunities to grasp the greatness of God and to mature in unity and mature in love for one another. I know firsthand that it is possible to go to church and not grow in one’s relationship with God and people. Therefore, rather than merely committing to going to church, let us remember to be church.

We are the church

Date: 10/2008.101

12 Oct 2008 DCFC English "We have a dream..." Eph 4:11-13 - Candle in the Darkness

Craig Groeschel

We love this church because it is convenient for us.

We go to this church because our kids love the day care

This church makes me feel better about myself

"We are church shopping." Their words imply that they are consumers looking for some church to meet their needs. When they find a church they like, they join it. If one day this church no longer meets their needs, they leave, singing the national anthem of consumeristic church shoppers, "We're not getting fed! We are not growing!" Erwin McManus asked, "When will we realize that the church does not exist for us? We are the church and we exist for the world."

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CommunityServer.Components.PostAttachments -> Apr 24 2011 dcfc english Worship [The Master & The Disciple] Luke 24: 28-36
CommunityServer.Components.PostAttachments -> A box of treasure by beverly carradine
key -> The life and times — of — benjamin franklin, — by — joseph franklin, and
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