I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve here, teach, and lead us on
the journey of becoming a community of disciples. One thing I’ve
learned is that we all are on a journey, that we are all at different
stages along the path, and that we all travel at different speeds. I’m
not so much concerned about the speed *as long as we’re moving at God’s
speed) as much as I am the direction!
Two weeks ago, several of us attended the “Under Construction” training
event here in the district. One of the discussion questions was, “What
does a church full of disciples look like?” Well, this sermon seeks to
address that question a little bit.
A Community of Disciples is …
Prayerful, not self-reliant
A community that is prayerful is one that relies on God and trusts God, rather than human strength and wisdom.
“Lord, give me the wisdom to know what’s right, and the courage to do what’s right, even when it’s hard.” (Andy Stanley)
Faithful, not fearful
Show me a community that earnestly and passionately prays, and I will
show you a community that is willing to follow God anywhere, in spite
of any obstacles! It’s not so much that they are fearless, but that
their faith is bigger than their fear!
“Jesus promised those who would follow him only three things … that
they would be absurdly happy, entirely fearless, and always in
trouble.” (Gregg Lavoy)
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1.7)
“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings.'” (John 8.31)
God-honoring, not selfish
Show me a community that prays and follows God, and I will show you a community that strives to honor God in every possible way!
Zechariah 7.2–12 (Here God asks, “was it really for me that you were fasting?”)
Passionate, not half-hearted
Show me a community that prays, follows God anywhere, and lives to
please God, and I will show you a community that is passionate,
whole-hearted, and on fire for God!
When David brought the Ark of the Covenant home (2 Samuel 6), the
Scriptures say, “David danced before the LORD with all his might” (v.
14).
Content, but not complacent
Show me a community that prays, follows God anywhere, lives to please
God, and is passionate about God, and I will show you a community that
is content, and has peace and joy in their hearts.
But, a content community is not a complacent community! I’ve always
said, the church’s number one enemy is complacency. When we get to the
place where we stop moving forward, that’s a dangerous place to be.
Because, in reality, we begin moving backwards, or in the wrong
direction, many times without even knowing it!
Momentum is extremely important. It takes a lot of effort to get it
back! In fact, I’ve always said, too, that the pastor’s number one job
is to create momentum (or, more accurately, be an instrument of God to
create momentum).
Comforting, but not comfortable
Show me a community that prays, follows God, lives to please God, is
passionate about God, and is content but not complacent, and I will
show you a community that loves people.
Loving God and loving people: Isn’t that what the church is all about? Loving God and loving people?!
In Isaiah 61, we see Christ’s mission (and our’s), which includes
“comfort(ing) those who mourn” (v. 2). But show me a community that
really loves God and loves people, and I’ll show you a community that
doesn’t allow people to become too comfortable! If we’re going to
really love people where they are, it’s going to lead us into some
uncomfortable terrain!
“I am learning that God intends salvation to be more than a ticket to
heaven, and that his chief purpose in providing the church is not to
transport us there with as little inconvenience as possible.” (Don
Ratzlaff)
Maturing, but not perfect
Show me a community that prays, follows God, lives to please God, is
passionate about God, is content but not complacent, comforting but not
comfortable, and I will show you a community that is maturing and being
spiritually formed into the image of Christ.
This is what Wesley talked about: “Going on to perfection.” It’s the process that matters.
So, what’s the purpose of Scripture? Brian McLaren says, “The Bible …
is good for equipping people to do good works. It does so specifically
through teaching (telling you what is true and right), rebuking
(helping you see where you’ve gone wrong), correction (guiding you on
how to get on the right track again), and training in justice
(educating you in the skills of staying on the right path).” (See 2 Timothy 3.16–17)
It’s not about me!”
You can always tell when someone in immature in their faith journey –
when it’s all about them! In the same way, you can always tell when
someone is growing – it’s not about me!
I think this is what a community full of disciples looks like! This is
the kind of community that I want to be part of; it’s the kind of
community that I want to serve and lead; and it’s the kind of community
that I want to see here in the Juniata Valley! It will require all of
us praying, growing, being spiritual formed and shaped by God’s Spirit!