I was gratefully given the opportunity to do the Sunday service at a retreat this weekend.

I spoke from Colossians 3:15-17 on what I believe is the basis for authentic community. I thought I’d share it with ya’ll today.

The start of my message was actually a last-minute add-in, prompted by a late night chat with my wife.  I told the teens that the youth groups I’d been a part of had seen hundreds come through the doors, but very many (even ones who said they were Christians) are now completely away from God.  Afterwards, I found out that this has already been happening with this group…I feel like they’ve seen a glimpse, you know?

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Aloneness is dangerous. The myth of “me-time” is ruining our society. No one ever healed by locking themselves in solitary confinement. We need to be together.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

But not only do we need to be together, we need to become better together. We don’t do this by listening to preachers on Sunday or ‘being discipled’ and reading our Bible…we do this by teaching each other how to live lives of wisdom and by sharing all that we are and have.

17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

But it’s not enough to simply be together, and become better together- we need to let everything we do be marked by Christ. Giving our lives as living sacrifices. 4 songs and a hymn does not constitute worship. A 24/7 lifestyle of grace and servanthood does.

And notice what all three verses have in common at the end of them?
Be thankful. Gratitude. Give thanks.

We must learn to be grateful. We have so much. Gratefulness allows our hearts to overflow into the lives of others.

My conclusion was this…
Authentic community happens when we choose to come together, and become better together, and make God famous…together.

I dream of becoming a part of a community that does this radically.

How about you?

As we get to know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need to live a godly life.  After all, He does want us to be just like Him!

And by that same power, He has given us a lot of amazingly powerful promises.  He even promised that you’d escape the decadence all around you, caused by evil desires. (some promise eh?!)

Do whatever you possibly can to apply the benefits of His promises to your life.

Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence.This leads to knowing God better.

Knowing God leads to self-control.
Self-control leads to patient endurance.
Patience endurance leads to godliness.
Godliness leads to love for other Christians,
and eventually, you will have genuine love for everyone.

The more you keep growing like this, the more you will become productive and useful with all that knowledge you have about God.

But those who fail to develop these listed virtues? They are blind…or at least, VERY short-sighted.

They’ve already forgotten that God cleansed them from their old life of sin.

2 Peter 1:3-9

Ps…I’m speaking at the Conestoga Retreat this weekend, please pray whenever you can, thanks!

I’m ready a book right now whose every page is ruining me in all the right ways.

I’m being filled with a holy desperation for something more.

My heart is craving for a community of people who are heaven-bent on loving others to Jesus in every radical way possible.

We’d rather play church.

But it seems we’ve settled down on earth and forgotten heaven completely.

Am I the only one? Is there a longing in your heart for a community like this?

Ezekiel 33

When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people. Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die.   They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives.

But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths.’

“Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself.

Followers of Jesus, the Word of God has taken us to task.

To be honest, for over a week now I’ve been putting off a.) putting up this post and b.) putting this post into action.

I sense very deeply that I am in the place of a watchman in a friend’s life right now, and have been unable to muster the courage to simply sound the alarm.  But I’m doing it today- because the person is worth it and I love them dearly.

Do you have a friend running hard down a bad path?
Do you have a sibling who’s making awful choices?
Do you know a couple that’s slipping further and further into sin?
Do you see someone close to you falling deeper and deeper into a harmful addiction?
Do you see a fellow Christ-followers slowly walking away from their faith?

It’s not like we’re even supposed to preach hell fire or judge them for their actions. Not at all. In fact, I discourage it.  We’re called to simply warn them.  Play out what will happen if they continue down their chosen road. Simply ask them to consider heeding the call of Christ to conform to His image.  Warn them. That’s it.

If we don’t, their fall is on us, and rightly so. What good is a friend who does not try to save a friend from what is not good?

Is there someone that you need to stand as a watchman for today? Do not delay. Sound the alarm.

Jay

New post by Michelle for the girls… City Under Siege.

Life’s Hard Choices

Michelle and I, along with Jess and Andrea, went to check out Gateway Church in Caledonia last week.  Randomly, the pastor’s sermon topic was alcohol. We had a little bit of a chuckle- seemed a bit odd to devout a Sunday service to booze.

But we were quickly taken in by his good communication and obviously very thorough preparation.  As the message went on, we realized that it was less about booze, and more about life choices.

Specifically, the filter through which all our life’s choices should be made.  He proposed that we ask 3 questions before doing something of consequence.

1. Is it the right thing to do?
This is about hitting up Scripture and seeing what God’s word actually says about the issue.  Stealing for your neighbour? Not right. Loving your enemy? It’s the right thing to do.

But question #1 is just the beginning. Most people who can’t find a line and verse for their proposed sin often stop there, and go ahead with their rebellion. Because they forget to ask the second question…

2. Is it the wise thing to do?
Really, this is almost all-encapsulating.  Andy Stanley argues that we should be able to figure out what wisdom is simply by looking at the results in our past, thinking about our current situation, and projecting what this action will be worth in light of where we are going.  Often, these 3 ’sub-questions’ help easily determine if any activity is wise or foolish.

3. Is it what God is leading me to do?
It seems like people often take one of two sides- “I do what the Bible says” or “I do what I feel.“  Both are a little lop-sided, and certainly not enough to make godly choices consistently.  The third question is where the relationship with God plays into things.  Assuming that you and Jesus are walking the road of life together, and that you’ve asked the previous two questions, I think it’s prudent to ask the lover of your soul what HE thinks and feels about your proposed choice.

How He speaks will vary- through a word, through a person, through a picture, through a wind, or through the silence. Or 8 trillion other ways.  You will always find what you seek, if you seek with all your heart.

This filter not only applies to questionable choices like drug-using, etc. This even more so applies to life choices of a leading nature- of senses that we’re being called to go here or serve there.

We’ve had an amazing time putting our life choices through this filter…it certainly eliminates alot of the chaff and certainly leaves time and room for God to then come along and fill or lives with more of Himself.

So, in regards to the life choices you need to make today- Are they right? Wise? God’s leading?

Jay