We are talking about the grace of God resulting in the growth of community. But we are not disembodied souls. God created the human soul to function in the body—the body is not simply a carrying case. We are soul and body together. This means that as community grows up around us, characterized by things …
What Brung Us
God in His grace has given us a very robust community. We not only enjoy vibrant worship together, we are also engaged in numerous forms of parish life together, and then, on top of that, ministry outreach together. In recent years, the number of ministry opportunities for members of our church have exploded—from ISF to …
Defense, Not Defensiveness
In a fallen world like ours, every community must have defenses. Every flock of sheep must have shepherds willing to fight. Every nation must have an army and navy. Every town needs a police force. A church that never disciplines has AIDS. It has no functioning immune system. Churches without discipline cannot fight off the …
The Stalwarts of Asia
In order to understand the kind of community that is developing here, we have to see it like the tide coming in and filling up separate tide pools. They look distinct and separate, but they are all part of the same phenomenon. There may be distinct tide pools, but there is only one tide. The …
If We Walk in the Light
One of the things we are seeking to do is build a true community. Not a tight little cult with everyone in lockstep, and not a disparate and loose collection of people who happen to share latitude and longitude markers. In this fallen world, true community can only happen in and through Christ, and not …
Yearning By Letting Go
As we build, we are fulfilling a true vocation under God. God’s people should always be builders. But as we build, we are not, Babel-like, to be building a name for ourselves (Gen. 11:4). When we build in the name of Christ, it should be a house for His name (2 Sam. 7:13). When Jesus …
That Builds Things
As the kingdom of Christ is established and rooted in any given place, the only way this can happen is by displacing what was there before. Sometimes that previous regime is old and decrepit, and is ready to relinquish its hold. These are tribes, nations and kingdoms ready for conversion, eager for something different. Other …
True Glue
Throughout Scripture, one of the central bonding agents in true community is a foundational commitment to truth-telling. Lies are corrosive, and the truth is a great adhesive. The ninth commandment says not to bear false witness against your neighbor (Ex. 20:16). The Colossians are told not to lie to one another, seeing that they have …
The Duty of Like-mindedness
Cultures and subcultures both can be tight or loose. At the extreme end of the tight scale we have small communities in lockstep, agreeing on virtually everything. At the extreme end of loose, we have cosmopolitan cultures with the only thing in common being the fact that everyone is in the same place at the …
Odd Gifts
Love makes a Christian community grow, but gifts give that growth focus and direction. When the Lord ascended into Heaven, He gave gifts to men, and He did this for the edification of the church. “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men . . …