A Radiant Community
Essential Command: Love • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 11 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
During this collection, we’ve laid out a biblical perspective on the essential command to love one anther. It has been several weeks of sharing the vision of our church community. Last sunday the collection hit a crescendo as I shared some fresh language around our mission here at Faith Church. This whole series has been a vision series…today we will be the final installment of this series.
A radiant, christ-centered community is devoted to pursuing God with a fully surrendered life - spirit, soul, & body.
A radiant, christ-centered community is devoted to pursuing God with a fully surrendered life - spirit, soul, & body.
Jesus gave the essential command to love one anther. The essential command to be a radiant community cannot be fulfilled without being empowered.
God doesn’t ask us to do anything without empowering us to do it.
4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
1 When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.
Faith Church is a spirit-filled collective of Jesus-centered people.
You can be as filled with the power of the Spirit as you are yielded to HIm.
When common people determine to live with uncommon devotion to Jesus and each other, something transformative occurs.
When common people determine to live with uncommon devotion to Jesus and each other, something transformative occurs.
T.S. - Radiant church in Acts was growing in their devotion, by engaging in purposeful actions that were counter intuitive to the culture around them.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Inaugural movement toward living out the essential command to be christ-centered collective that loves one another.
The church does uncommon things because of their devotion to Jesus.
John Piper writes, The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18–20). The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable.
You cannot be devoted without sacrifice and surrender.
There are five core characteristics of a Radiant Church:
There are five core characteristics of a Radiant Church:
Loving, Learning, Growing, Generous, & Miraculous
1. Learning Community
1. Learning Community
Kids resources, teaching on their level, YTH connects, groups, and weekly podcast uploads, labor in the word to feed the flock
Learning occurs daily, not just once a week. Learning occurs in groups and at your dinner table.
two hinderances to learning: pride and fear…fear of being vulnerable and being found out you’ve attend church for years, but haven’t grown. pride says I’m beyond that, i read that once, this is good for others, but i’m beyond that.
it’s in community…not alone. not by yourself.
2. Loving Community
2. Loving Community
sincere hospitality, inviting people into your real life.
know peoples names and stories.
come early and stay late...serve
Practice 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.“
they were constantly together.
this place is full of hospitable people and spaces…which make it comfortable and easy to stay anonymous…for some that a good thing, you’re being healed. others it’s a danger because you cannot grow fully on your own.
God is longsuffering with us. It’s a fruit we need..but we cannot grow in that without it.
You devote better with others who are also devoted.
Uncommon Commitment to worship together - in homes and large public gatherings
illus: groups built around that devotion to depth, vulnerability, & growth
3. Generous Community
3. Generous Community
this is so obvious as you read the text.
is it prescriptive or descriptive?
marked by radical and radiant generosity.
Proverbs 11:24 (ESV) - One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
2 Corinthians 9:7–8, 11 — “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others....Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.”
repeating rhythm of generosity
Special offerings (like Christmas)
how much have we given in Cmas offering since doing it?
how much have we given in outreach over past few years?
illus: HS whispered, “you fund it in Guatemala, i’ll fund it Ft Scott”
what you do not surrender, has the power to syphon your affection/attention away from God, becoming an idol. The idols of our life, open our spirits to be negatively impacted by the false/evil spirits, behind the idols.
4. Praying Community
4. Praying Community
and saw the miraculous. established the unique authority of apostles…which became a foundation for all of our faith.
they were in awe.
healings, provision, life-change, prophetic and gift of Spirit maturing us
Spirit-filled and in full pursuit of the presence and power of the Spirit.
pray, knowing God is working….already but not yet.
they prayed, and miraculous things occured.
descriptive not prescriptive.
5. Growing Community
5. Growing Community
partnership leads to growth.
we take intentional steps to make room and share what we have learned
disciples know God through His word, practice the ways of Jesus, and lead others to do the same.
κοινωνία (koinōnia). n.
fellowship, communion, sharing, participation, partnership. A term that conveys a sense of commonality, solidarity, and shared responsibility among households or individuals.
Plausibility structures is our ability to believe something, shaped not by facts but by community.
Flat-Earther: "You know, all these airplane routes are proof that the Earth is flat. Why else would flights from Australia to South America take so long? They're hiding the truth!"
Science Teacher: "You’re telling me the airlines are in on a global conspiracy to fake the shape of the planet… to make us pay for snacks and extra legroom?"
Flat-Earther: "Exactly! Open your eyes, sheeple."
Science Teacher: "I teach middle school science. You’re not even the strangest thing I’ve heard this week."
We need to be people who introduce people to Jesus, and that may start by introducing them to radiant people so they see something more possible, more plausible, than what they have been living.
We can give them a compelling alternative by living as a compelling christ-centered collective with uncommon devotion to God and to each other.
__________________________________________________________
Talk it Over (being honest & open with friends, a spouse, or your Group)
The message was about becoming a Spirit-filled community. What is one idea from Sunday’s message that impacted you?
Read Acts 1:4-8 and Acts 2:1-4 What does this passage reveal about God? What are some other things you observe in the text?
Why do you think it was important for Jesus that this was one of His final commands to His followers?
Read Acts 2:42-47. What do you observe in this passage?
What does it mean to have a fully surrendered life in the context of pursuing God?
In what areas of your life do you feel God is asking you to surrender more fully to Him?
What are the five characteristics of a radiant community from the message? Which characteristic do want to see grow within you in this season?
