Week 4: Fellowship—Knowing the God of Light

(1 John 2:3-11)

Our fourth week of daily devotions in the Book of First John center on the John’s discourse on fellowship and walking in the light. You’re going to need your Bible and I’ve provided the Study Notes on this website that you can either bookmark, or print. Be sure to scroll down to the notes outlining and commenting on the 1 John 2:3-11. Or you may want to download the word document: 1jn2.3-11nn. I hope this helps those of you who are committed to journaling this year.

Thursday: 1 John 2:3-11, Connect your love for others with your knowledge of God!

(more…)

Unity or Uniformity? The difference is real!

We know Christ desires unity in the church. And we know that disunity is an embarrassment to the cause of Christ.

What we don’t know is how to pull it off.

A critical distinction that has helped me think through how to unify the flock I shepherd in the name of Jesus is the difference between unity and uniformity.

Five Differences:

Do these make sense? Anything to add?

Grace to Be One

Selected Scripture

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

Our focus is relational discipleship rather than numbers and community rather than buildings and programs. Passing through the threshold of 500 has presented unique challenges to our storied church. The elders, staff and I have been discussing all of this in light of our priority to affirm our commitment to each individual, every marriage, and every family.

Our biblical text this year will be the Book of Galatians. Paul’s “Magna Carta of Christian Liberty” is all about accessing the grace of God in ways that release new life in Christ. I’m going to be teaching it with our specific community of faith in mind. This means that all of us, together will be saying, “We want to help you trust the grace of God in ways that will release your new life in Christ”.

This brings a huge commitment on our part. As we’re saying this to others, we should be asking ourselves, “How do we treat people as special as they are to Christ?” Our discussions and actions over the next 12 months will center on determining how we multiply groups, multiply and equip leaders and organize ministry so that we stay in touch with those who need God’s grace, encouragement, and guidance. The overarching Breakthrough Prayer we’ve settled on is simple but stretching: Please mature us as a church as we extend grace to more and more.

(more…)

RETALIATE: to make an attack or assault in return for a similar attack

Retaliation is all about getting even, being right, feeling exonerated, making sure everyone knows my side, my view, my account of events, my opinion and my reasoning.

It never heals, always escalates, and in spite of both sides’ desire to win the retaliation battle, everyone loses.

Especially when it involves Christians.

When we divide a Christian marriage, a Christian family, a Christian staff, team, or church into winners and losers, it hurts the reputation of the Lord Jesus in this world.

Histories and Timelines

This is how you know you’re in the middle of a sanctified retaliation war. Opposing parties come to meetings with their version of the issues and conflicts.

“And then, on Wednesday, you said this. That’s why I did this.”

“No I didn’t. It didn’t happen that way at all. I can prove that it wasn’t until the next Tuesday that I said that, but that’s not what I said. I said this, and it was only because you did this on the Friday before.”

Both sides marshal a lot of “character” or “eye” witnesses to prove that they’ve been wronged, hurt, or misunderstood.

Tragically, if it’s a retaliation war between husband and wife, they usually try to recruit the children to their side. If it’s Christian leaders, they usually recruit devoted followers to their side.

It’s so important to win that they totally disregard the emotional and spiritual impact all of this will have on those who look up to them.

But Jesus said…

That “they,” all those watching, would know we are Christians by our love, not by our exoneration, by our willingness to give up our rights, not by our determination to be right, by our behaviors that remind people of Him rather than the two-year-olds in our world.

Judy and I have an almost two-year-old in our life right now. Our Celia’s Zachary lives just a few miles away. He’s our first grandchild to permanently reside in California and we just can’t get enough of him.

But when he doesn’t get his way and stomps his feet and his face turns purple and his eyes bug out and he screams at his parents (he never screams at me because I try not to tell my grandchildren anything they don’t want to hear), it’s not a pretty picture. He’s a sweetie until he doesn’t get his way. Then he becomes a retaliator!

Reminds me a lot of church fights I’ve been a part of, or marriages Judy and I have tried to “adjudicate.” Grownup Christians prove that their chronological age has nothing to do with the spiritual maturity when they revert to the behaviors of a two-year-old.

So how would the Lord Jesus classify you when you don’t get your way in your marriage, your family, your workplace, or your church?

Would He say you’re a selfless, other-centered and mature follower who trusts Him enough to give up your rights?

Or would He tell you you’re more like a two-year old retaliator when it comes to getting your own way?

If all of this makes you uncomfortable, it should.

It makes me uncomfortable.

But it also pulls my heart. Because as much as I want my own way in my flesh, my redeemed heart wants to be more like Jesus than the two-year-olds I know.

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (Jesus Christ, John 13:35)

What is your first thought?

If you’re a Christian, your first reaction may be guilt and shame when you read words like these from the lips of Jesus:

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:20-23).

One of the surest signs of how far the church today lives from the New Testament’s emphasis on unity is that most of us read these words as a challenge rather than a comfort.

It’s time to look at them again, as if for the first time and in context!

(more…)

The pastor paced the floor screaming out to God. “What did I do wrong? All I ever wanted to do was serve you!”

I had just had breakfast with the chairman of his elder board who had asked me, “Where did we go south on this? All we ever wanted to do was see people come to Christ.”

Church fights, family tensions, embattled ministries, friends at odds—the most discouraging and damaging dynamic in Christianity.

I’ve been around churches and working with church leaders for decades, and I’m convinced that the number one reason church leaders fight isn’t doctrine or philosophy of ministry. Our problem is that in the furious blur of personal and corporate ministry, we begin to neglect our relationships.

I know, it happened to me fifteen years ago.

(more…)