Vision Glorious

hmmm. hmmm. another Bon-Bon with the community flavor.

If you missed it, you can read the first Bon-Bon here. Without further delay, let’s make a bee-line to the nectar: 

"Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this… It means that in Jesus Christ we have been chosen from eternity, accepted in time, and united for eternity.

The Christian is the man who no longer seeks his salvation, his deliverance, his justification in himself but in Jesus Christ alone…He lives wholly by God’s Word pronounced upon him, whether that Word declares him guilty or innocent…

The Reformers expressed it this way: Our righteousness is an "alien righteousness," a righteousness that comes from outside of us. They were saying that the Christian is dependent on the Word of God spoken to him…

Help must come from the outside, and it has come and comes daily and anew in the Word of Jesus Christ…But God has put this Word into the mouth of men in order that it may be communicated to other men. When one person is struck by the Word, he speaks it to others. God has willed that we should seek and find His living Word in the witness of a brother, in the mouth of man…He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ…

And that also clarifies the goal of all Christian community: they meet one another as bringers of the message of salvation. As such, God permits them to meet together and gives them community. Their fellowship is founded solely upon Jesus Christ and this "alien righteousness." All we can say, therefore, is: the community of Christians springs solely from the Biblical and Reformation message of the justification of man through grace alone; this alone is the basis of the longing of Christians for one another.¹

1. Excerpts from Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community. Harper & Row Publishers Inc., 1954. pages 21-23

   [all bold emphases are added by Vision Glorious] [back]

It’s true. My Church is regularly emerging from the 4-walls of the Church building into each others’ lives and out into the communities around them with the Good News on their lips and the love of Christ in their hearts.¹ And I love it!

Before I post part 2 of True Christian Community is Patterned in the Sacrificial System, I wanted to share this write-up from my good buddy and dear brother, Carlos Rodriguez. Carlos is from east central Los Angeles (he’s picky about that). Carlos re-dedicated his life to the Lord Jesus in our Church and his wife Marife (from the Philippines) was wonderfully saved early last year and baptized. In the following paragraphs, Carlos writes about what he has learned and experienced in the last twenty-two months. We’re all very proud of Carlos & Fe, and we boast in the Lord of what He has done through their lives.

Here’s Carlos emerging with his Church:

One of the most precious things my family and I have is our lifeteam (small group). Our lifeteam meets every Thursday night for worship and fellowship among families. Each and every member from the youngest to the oldest is part of our immediate spiritual family. The men are truly my brothers and the women are truly my sisters. There is more than just a bond and a weekly meeting between us because Christ is in the center of our relationships. We met each other through Christ and we sustain each other through Christ in our everyday lives. The church has a number of lifeteams throughout the body, but the spirit of a lifeteam is always present when the whole body is together. We learn how to be a family with our small group and it carries over to our large group body. Team members continously take care of each families need without any obligatory feelings - it is a desire to please my brother in Christ. The children are the repsonsibility of all and are treated with the love that each parent gives their own child. Our sick are taken care of and no family has to worry about everyday tasks while they are incapacitated because the families are there for each other. The other day most of the families were able to eat lunch together at the Spaghetti House and it felt like each of them have always been part of my family; there are no formalities. We also serve each through accountability and challenge ourselves in lifeteam with difficult questions and discussions that must be dealt with. Our lifeteam has also gone door to door spreading the Good News together.  We have three months left in Italy and my family’s heart grows sad when just the thought of leaving our team is brought up. Not just the lifeteam, but the community of lifeteams that Christ has built for us. The communion, sharing, and enjoyment has truly been a small Christian community. Our fear is not having the same type of community when we move to Nebraska this fall and we pray that we will find a Christian community that will become our true everyday family and not just a Sunday club.

1. and you thought you had another "developing story" on your hands [back]

Cain, in his sin, shirks God’s probe for his brother Abel.
           "Am I my brother’s keeper?" Genesis 4:9

I believe the opposite holds true: 
           Cain, outside of his sin, is his brother’s keeper — and he knows it.

James 2:8-10 teaches so strongly that between you and God stands your neighbor. As members of the Church, the Body of Christ, we are mutually responsible for one another. We are responsible for our brother’s spiritual, emotional, and social welfare. Here’s a tough Christian responsibility to ponder in our shallow-commitment-society: We are also responsible for our brother’s shortcomings, his/her speech, & restititution from the damage of sin.

"A dramatic story illustrative of this point has been passed down from talmudic times. The tale is about three men in a boat. Suddenly one of the men begins to drill a hole beneath his seat. When his friends immediately plead with him to stop, he replies, What are you worrying about? I’m only drilling under my seat." The moral drawn by the rabbis has been repeated again and again: ‘We’re all in the same boat’."¹

1. Wilson, Marvin R. Our Father Abraham, Eerdmans p. 188-189 [back]

You can’t talk much about community and discipleship without acknowledging some of the better authors on these subjects. One author whose heart was near and dear to authentic, Christian living was Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Stories swirl about his life, ideas, theology, hair color, and if he ever watched Hogan’s Heroes. But whatever historical side of the fence you take, you can’t ignore the depth in some of his insights. We think Bonhoeffer hit the nail on the head in a number of areas. So, we occasionally want to share some of those spot-on nuggets with the VG community. Consider them “Deitrich-chewers” if you will. Written from an underground seminary in Germany during World War 2 - here’s the first:

Psalm 133:1 It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies…to bring peace to the enemies of God. So, the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. There is his commission. The Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would ever have been spared? (Martin Luther)

According to God’s will Christendom is a scattered people, scattered like seed “into all the kingdoms of the earth.” ( Zechariah 10:9; Deuteronomy 28:25)… “and they shall return” ( Zechariah 10:8-9)… Until then, God’s people remain scattered, held together solely in Jesus Christ, having become one in the fact that, dispersed among unbelievers, they remember Him in the far countries.

So between the death of Christ and the Last Day it is only by a gracious anticipation of the last things that Christians are privileged to live in visible fellowship with other Christians…Not all Christians receive this blessing…They know that visible fellowship is a blessing…The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.

The believer feels no shame…when he yearns for the physical presence of other Christians…The believer therefore lauds the Creator, the Redeemer, God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for the bodily presence of a brother. The prisoner, the sick person, the Christian in exile sees in the companionship of a fellow Christian a physical sign of the gracious presence of the triune God…But if there is so much blessing and joy even in a single encounter of brother with brother, how inexhaustible are the riches that open up for those who by God’s will are privileged to live in the daily fellowship of life with other Christians!

It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God tha any day may be taken from us…Therefore, let him who until now has has the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God’s grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren.¹

1. Excerpts from Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community. Harper & Row Publishers Inc., 1954. pages 17-20

   [all bold emphases are added by Vision Glorious] [back]

A pastor once used the analogy of a burning fire to represent the Church. He told me that if you place many logs together and strike a match, the mass of logs will ignite and create a roaring fire. As long as the logs are together, the fire continues. But if you take one burning log out of the fire, the flame will soon die out. Nothing changed in the log; it is still the same flammable materials as before. But something changed in the environment; without the heat and flame of the other logs, it simply won’t burn as readily. ‘So it is with Christians,’ he said to me. ‘As long as we are together, we burn for Christ as lights in the darkness. But if you separate one Christian away from the Church, in very little time he will be reduced to a smolder.’¹

1. an excerpt from Finding the Will of God ~ a Pagan Notion? by Bruce K. Waltke, p. 105 [back]

~ by Sister Dana Raye

Our Experience with TCC 

These things (the areas of True Christian Community) have been on our minds a lot since coming back to the United States and getting settled in American culture again.  My most meaningful experience with Christian community was definitely in Italy.  There are so many reasons why I think that occurred.  A passionate Pastor, vision, focus on outreach, and the tight-knit base community were a few of the reasons.  Living out my faith with a small group of believers included so many things: meeting together, worshipping, praying together, serving each other, and finding others to serve. 

Here’s How I See TCC

I believe Christian community is about bearing one another’s burdens and praying for one another, as Scripture teaches.  When you meet the basic goal of loving each other and building one another up, then you automatically want to share that with others and bring those who are hurting into the comfort of other believers.  Since leaving Italy, I have continued to see the fruit that comes from regular small group meetings, honestly sharing, prayer, and outreach with other believers.  In my short years of experience with these concepts, I believe the key is removing the masks we hide behind and being our true selves with others. The building called church didn’t change my life; coming to know God myself and through others did. The relationships are everything!

Community Killers

My experience with “community-killers” probably came early on with one church’s attempt to disciple me through guidelines and books rather than personal interaction and love.  I believe Christians do not mean to use as much lingo, rules, and traditions as we do, but it is comfortable and easy to do in a world where acceptance is so important in all other aspects of life.  In that mindset, many people lose sight of the true mission of the church.  Also, the local church not being so “local” can put a different spin on things.  I have met lots of people who drive 45 minutes to an hour for the large church with great music and a lot of activities to be involved in.  I sometimes wish we still had a neighborhood church, park, market, school.  Then people may really bear one another’s burdens, have a sense of community, and make the community a strong place.  Now we have to let everyone practice their own belief system, stay quiet, don’t offend, mind our own business, and drive our cars to a place we call church.  I believe the body of believers should take church into the community more and meet people where they need it.  I see them everyday in the emergency room where I work…they are sad, hurting, seeking pills to numb spiritual pain that has become physical, and looking for answers. We need to bridge that gap somehow, reach out to people, and bring them into a loving community of believers.  Unfortunately, I do not have a simple, cut and dry answer for how to do that!

Different Congregations; Same Components

I believe that in the same way the body has many parts, each church will have a unique approach.  This is exciting to me because we all have different ideas and abilities, and we cannot all be a part of the same congregation!  The way each body of believers lives out community may look different in practice, but it will always be based in love and living as a servant. I think the struggle is to challenge people in each church to own up to their calling and realize that they and the church have a mission here on earth.  Every believer is called to share how Christ changed them and serve, but not all do (always be ready to give an account!).  I think the proper discipleship of new believers, challenge to old ones, and an appropriate forum in which to live out life together (whatever it may look like) are the crucial components to developing True Christian Community.

~ Mrs. Dana Raye faithfully served as a LifeTeam Servant (small group leader) along with her husband Bryan in the Serenissima Bible Church in Northeast Italy. Dana & Bryan now live in Tennessee where they are faithfully serving in their local Church and raising their daughter Eva.