THE GOSPEL STORY COMPELS US

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  (Micah 6:8 NIV)

The story of the gospel makes sense of moral obligation and our belief in the reality of justice, so Christians do restorative and redistributive justice wherever they can. The story of the gospel makes sense of our indelible [spiritualness], so Christians do evangelism, pointing the way to forgiveness and reconciliation with God through Jesus. The gospel makes sense of our profoundly relational character, so Christians work sacrificially to strengthen human communities around them as well as the Christian community, the church. The gospel story also makes sense of our delight in the presence of beauty, so Christians become stewards of the material world, from those who cultivate the natural creation through science and gardening to those who give themselves to artistic endeavors, all knowing why these are necessary for human flourishing. The skies and trees “sing” of the glory of God, and by caring for them and celebrating them we free their voices to praise Him and delight us. In short, the Christian life means not only building up the Christian community through encouraging people to faith in Christ, but also building up the human community through deeds of justice, mercy and service. 

-- Timothy Keller (1950-2023) in “The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism” 

#6467

SPIRITUAL FITNESS FOR THE NEW YEAR

“Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.   (1 Timothy 4:7b-8 NIV)

A new year invites us to reset our priorities. Many of us will focus on physical health -- dieting, exercising, or finally using that gym membership. Paul reminds us this has value, but he also points us to something far more lasting: training in godliness.

John Ortberg writes in "The Life You've Always Wanted" that if we want to grow spiritually, we must “stop trying and start training.” Trying depends on momentary effort. Training builds steady habits that shape us over time. Spiritual growth doesn’t happen by accident; it grows through intentional practices that open our hearts to God’s transforming work.

This year, consider simple rhythms that strengthen your soul: Prayer as a daily conversation with God. Scripture as nourishment for your soul and guidance for the journey. Worship as a posture of reverence and gratitude. Community as the place where we support one another and grow best.  Devotional reading as the source of encouragement from those who are spiritual trainers. These practices are the gymnasium of the soul. And the promise is clear: godliness brings blessing not only for eternity, but for the life you’re living right now.

If you know of someone like you who would like to be part of a daily spiritual fitness routine this year, encourage them to follow this blog or subscribe to this e-mail through the link at the bottom of the column to the right.

As you step into the new year, may you train -- not try -- and may Christ be formed in you more deeply with every step.   

-- SOUND BITES Ministry™  

#6276

EMBODYING GOD'S LOVE

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  (John 13:34-35 NIV)

The earliest generations of Christians were known as a community that practiced sacrificial love. In a letter to the emperor Hadrian, a Christian named Aristides described the community this way:

"They love one another, and from widows they do not turn away their esteem; and they deliver the orphan from him who treats him harshly. And he who has, gives to him who has not, without boasting. And when they see a stranger, they take him in to their homes and rejoice over him as a very brother; for they do not call them brethren after the flesh, but brethren after the Spirit and in God." (Translated by D. M. Kay, www.earlychristianwritings.com)

At its best, the church continues to do these things today. Thousands of churches feed the poor, welcome strangers, and help those suffering from natural disasters.

Yet the church is composed of human beings who are sinners. We are all too familiar with the many ways we fall short of truly embodying God's love. Nevertheless, loving and acting on that love remain the church's purpose and calling from God. 

-- Scott J. Jones in “The Wesleyan Way: A Faith That Matters”

#6154

COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  (Acts 2:42-47 NIV)

One of the marks of the early church was their commitment to connectedness because they knew connectedness doesn’t just happen. They met together every day. They ate together with glad and sincere hearts. Over time, however, that value began to fade. So the writer of Hebrews said, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing.” (Hebrews 10:24-25a NIV)  

In other words, keep committed to community. 

-- Adapted from John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be”

#6143

 

THE COMMUNITY GOD LONGS TO BUILD

Christian community, like beauty, often presents itself in the intimate, the common, the close at hand. It comes to bud and flower in the simplest of places. Race by, and we miss it. Wait to see it in some idealized state, and we pass without knowing it is there.

…On the matter of Christian community, Jesus was direct and pointed: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). These words clearly contain a counsel of simplicity. As Jesus’ followers, if we are to find true community with one another and with Him, then we should look not just to the massive throng or the dramatic moment. We should look as well to the simplest instance of one life brushing up against another. We should open ourselves to the small and intimate moments when persons draw together in their joys and in their needs.

If love flows among us, even briefly, God is there -- in [the frustrations of daily living], in places of staggering beauty, in the realms of darkest communal pain. If we find ourselves bound together even momentarily, God is present. We taste with our spirits the community God longs to build. 

-- Stephen V. Doughty in an article called “Simple Place” in Weavings Journal, May/June 2003

#6119

THE CHURCH OF LESS-THAN-PERFECT HUMAN BEINGS

THE CHURCH OF LESS-THAN-PERFECT HUMAN BEINGS

“Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.”  (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NIV)

Carmen Renee Berry's book, “The Unauthorized Guide to Choosing a Church,” was "inspired by her odyssey from the deeply conservative church of her childhood into the world of seekers and cynics, and back again." She eventually found that the very reason she withdrew from the church -- her disappointment in church members who often failed to act as Christians -- was what drew her back.

She writes: "I had overlooked one essential factor -- that I am as finite and flawed as everyone else. … When a friend [died by] suicide, I realized I could become too cynical, too lost, and too alone. I needed a church, a community of believers. I needed to live in my faith and visit my doubts. Something happens there that simply doesn't when you are alone in prayer or on the Internet. As much as I hate to admit it, my faith is enhanced and enlarged when in relationship to other less-than-perfect human beings." 

-- from USA Today (6-2-2003)

#6061

BEARING WITNESS TO THE GOOD NEWS

The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 mandates that every follower of Christ is on mission to "go and make disciples of all nations." Jesus gave this instruction to all His followers, both as individuals and as the body of Christ. We, as a small group and as a church, bear collective witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.

One of Jesus' final instructions to His disciples is found in John 13:34-35: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." Note that Jesus did not say people will know we are Christians by how many churches we build, how many Bible studies we complete, how many prayers we say, or how many people come to our church. The litmus test is clear: people will know we are Christ-followers when we love each other the way Jesus does.

Theologian Francis Schaeffer asserted, "Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful -- Christian community is the final apologetic." Our non-believing friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors are watching and deciding on the validity of the gospel message. We need others to help us live lives worthy of God's calling so that people will see the power of God's love in and through us.

Ultimately, small groups are a way of living out our purpose, both as individuals and as a collective group of believers -- to be the church. We share a common foundation of faith and God has called us to live out the implications of that faith in a relational community, in the context that we call a small group. 

-- Carolyn Taketa in “Making a Case for Small Groups”  

#6059

A WAY OF LIFE TOGETHER

When we look at the early church we get a picture of small communities of people who followed Jesus together. The Book of Acts, especially Acts 2:42-47, gives us a great picture of the early church and the components of biblical community, which encompassed both the "temple courts" and "house to house."

These believers engaged in life together through teaching, fellowship, communion, prayer, miracles, radical generosity, and corporate worship. They spent time together eating, learning, celebrating, proclaiming the Good News, and supporting each other. In addition, the 50-plus "one another" verses in the New Testament flesh out other aspects of this community. For example, it was a place where people loved, forgave, served, bore burdens, encouraged, exhorted, prayed, equipped, spoke truth in love, confessed sins, and treated each other as precious members of one body.

God never intended for us to live the Christian life alone. How can we apply these "one another" references unless we are in intentional, close relationships with each other? God calls us to love, not in an abstract or superficial way, but in a deep, face to face, life-on-life, transformative way -- which is difficult and inevitably messy.

In our modern culture, small groups are often viewed merely as a program or a fellowship ministry within the church. But for the New Testament church, it was a way of life, encompassing every area of their lives. Their relationships with one another were critical to their pursuit of Jesus, their growth in Christ, and their witness to the Good News. It would be impossible to experience biblical community apart from spiritually significant, intentional relationships with other believers. Relational structures like small groups, therefore, are an integral part of "being" the church and not just "doing" church.

-- Carolyn Taketa in “Making a Case for Small Groups”

#6039

COMMUNITY AND MUTUAL RESPECT

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.”  (1 Corinthians 13:4-6 NRSV)

It is essential to remember that our differences do not make us superior or inferior to one another – in churches, in communities, in politics. As members of the human family, we must strive to understand the other, reducing our tendencies to be arrogant or rude. Each of us has unique gifts to offer and roles to play, and it is through recognizing and valuing these differences that we can foster a sense of community and mutual respect.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12:21, "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,' nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.'" This powerful metaphor illustrates the importance of interdependence and collaboration. In politics, as in life, we all need each other to create a harmonious and functioning society.

Arrogance and rudeness often stem from a failure to acknowledge our interconnectedness. When we appreciate the diversity of our gifts and functions, we are drawn into a deeper understanding of our common humanity. Let us strive to approach political discourse with humility and respect, recognizing that every voice and perspective has something to offer. By doing so, we can build a more compassionate world. 

-- SOUND BITES Ministry, compiled from a variety of sources

#6036

COMMUNITY IN CHRIST

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”  (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT)

The Spirit is inviting, inviting us to overcome our shyness and to discover anew what community in Christ is really meant to be.

The Spirit is inviting us to set aside our idealized images of community, because true community in Christ involves us in all the realities of human relationships.  The Spirit is inviting us to attend once again on faithful practices and on being stretched and on our steady, prayerful need for grace in the life we share together.  In essence, the Spirit now bids us to enter a form of being and acting that has no limits.

It is calling us to grow in our life with the community that is both fashioned and led forth by the Living Christ.

-- Stephen V. Doughty in “Discovering Community”

#6023

PAIN – THE GREAT EQUALIZER

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”  (Revelation 21:4 NKJV)

Affliction is a great equalizer.  It makes us all brothers and sisters in a very special way.  Almost anyone who has ever shared a hospital room remembers their roommate; they have traveled together in the fellowship of suffering, and even if they never see each other again, they often feel uniquely close.  This is partly because pain treats us all alike.  It's easier to endure sickness in a private room than in a ward, but when you have to depend on a nurse or an aide for bedpan and bathing, it makes no difference whether you're rich or poor, learned or ignorant. And if you're accustomed to being independent, the burden may be all the harder to bear.

In 1893, shortly after Grover Cleveland had come into his second term in the presidency, it was discovered that he had cancer of the throat and jaw.  National leaders feared that if his illness became public knowledge, the shaky financial condition of the country might grow into a full panic.  So they arranged for a medical team to join the president on a yacht, and skilled surgeons operated as the craft rolled up the East River. "If you must have surgery," someone might say, "that's the way to have it."  Perhaps. But Cleveland wrote later, "I have learned how weak the strongest man is under God's decree; and I see in a new light the necessity of doing my allotted work in the full apprehension of the coming night."

Pain is a great equalizer.  Peasant or president, rich or poor, the dimensions are pretty much the same. 

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas in “If Experience Is Such a Good Teacher Why Do I Keep Repeating the Course?”

#5922

MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take [a thorn in the flesh] away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NIV)

There is no ideal community.  Community is made up of people with all their richness, but also with their weakness and poverty, of people who accept and forgive each other, who are vulnerable with each other.  Humility and trust are more at the foundation of community than perfection.

-- Jean Vanier in “Community and Growth” 

#5896

SEEKING TO FOLLOW CHRIST

“The gifts Christ gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13)

The church is the worshipping community. We are that body of people who are learning together to repent, pray, and serve in the light of our history and an imagination that is teaching us to do so. The focus of our history and imagination is Jesus Christ, in Whom we see what it means to live in repentance, prayer, and service. We seek to follow Him, to be His disciples, and to undertake the disciplines that such a life requires. 

-- Craig R. Dykstra in “Vision and Character”

#5793

LET’S DO THIS TOGETHER

There are communal and public dimensions of the spiritual life that must be experienced and without which the soul is impoverished. David knew this, and accordingly he exhorted his friends, “Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness, let us exalt His name together.”  (Psalm 34:3)

There is a delightful naturalness about this exuberant invitation. When we are excited about something, we spontaneously want to share it. “Did you see that?” we ask those sitting around us at the ball game as an athlete shows extraordinary skills. Of course they saw it. We know they did, we just want to share the excitement. “Have you seen the latest movie?” we inquire. Why? Because we enjoyed it and our enjoyment is not complete until it is shared. So it was with David’s experience of the Lord. He was so excited that his excitement needed to be shared and thus multiplied. In effect David was saying, “Let’s do this together, and in so doing let us intensify the joy and multiply the blessing!” 

-- Adapted from Stuart Briscoe in “Daily Study Bible for Men”

#5786

MEETING TOGETHER

 EDITOR'S NOTE: This quote was originally written following the Covid pandemic. Christians who had been worshiping via live stream were not returning to in-person worship in pre-pandemic numbers. Many Christians had gotten out of the habit. This trend continues for many today. This quote is not meant for those who are not able to be in worship. In that case, we are thankful for the ministry of live-stream worship. -- DW

MEETING TOGETHER

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV)   

As church attendance numbers fade across the nation and online services become very convenient it’s important to remember why church attendance for you and your family matters so much.

You can’t serve from your sofa. You can’t have community of faith on your sofa. You can’t experience the power of a room full of believers worshipping together on your sofa.

Christians aren’t consumers. We are contributors. We don’t watch. We engage. We give. We sacrifice. We encourage. We pray by laying hands on the hurting. We do life together.

The church needs you. And you need the church. 

-- Michael Carl

#5782

LIFE IS FRAGILE

“Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  (Matthew 28:20b)

The thread of life is fragile.   A few cells within a healthy body grow erratically and we receive the diagnosis of cancer; a second's misjudgment at an intersection, and a life is lost; a heart that keeps its cadence for decades skips a few beats and we find ourselves in intensive care; a friend loses her baby during pregnancy; an aging parent shows signs of Alzheimer's; violence strikes someone we know.  None of us is immune to such devastating experiences for ourselves, our families, or among our friends.  Inexpressible suffering barges in at unexpected moments.  And everyone balances the more common (yet anguishing) anxieties, setbacks, and losses that challenge our ability to cope – conflict at home, financial loss, trouble with teenagers, struggles with alcohol, feelings of loneliness.  No one lives without facing a threatening darkness.

We overestimate our capacity to handle these things all by ourselves, and we underestimate the power of community to help.  Belonging to a caring community, we discover a sustenance that does not answer all our questions or end all our challenges, but which keeps us connected, rooted, grounded.  When the worst happens, God doesn't promise us an answer; God provides us a relationship.  Through sustaining relationships, we discover that God is not aloof from life and disinterested in us.  Instead, God gets in the trenches and suffers with us.  We are not alone.  God is with us.  God's presence reaches us through the people who love us.  The thread of life is fragile, but the fabric of life is eternal. 

-- Robert Schnase in “Five Practices of Fruitful Living”

#5708

THE CHURCH GATHERED AND SCATTERED – Part 1

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”  (Matthew 28:16-20 NKJV)

In worship Jesus extends invitation for us to come to Him, He wants us to rest. He wants us to learn of Him and lean on Him. But He also wants us to go for Him. He not only wants us to be the gathered church, He also wants us to be the church scattered.

There is a classic occasion in the Gospels that illustrates the challenge of this truth. It is usually called “The Transfiguration” (see Matthew 17). Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and went to the top of the mountain, where Jesus was transformed before them. Jesus talked with Moses and Elijah. Peter became so captivated by it all that He said, “Lord, we are having such a good time, let’s stay here! Let’s build three booths and stay here forever! Let’s freeze time. Let’s eternalize this moment.” But Jesus said to Peter: “No, Peter, we didn’t come up here to stay. This is a come and go affair. We have come up, but we must go down. There is a distraught father in the valley who needs help. A sick boy needs healing. There is a woman who has been hemorrhaging for twelve years and needs healing. There is an unbelieving, stumbling, and fumbling church that needs better organization. Let’s go down.” 

-- Adapted from “Encountering Jesus” by Zan W. Holmes, Jr.

#5679

CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”  (John 1:12-13 NKJV)

Why do we gather for worship? Why do we gather as a church? We gather as the people of God to hear our true names being called. When we are baptized, the heavens break open and we hear God saying to us, “Thou art my beloved son, thou art my beloved daughter,” because God knows our true names.

I think of my forefathers and foremothers in the time of slavery. They were called everything except children of God. But they did not derive their identity from the names that their slave masters called them. Instead, they stole away and sang: “Hush, hush, somebody’s calling my name. Hush, hush, somebody’s calling my name.” And then they sang another verse: “It sounds like Jesus, somebody’s calling me name. It sounds like Jesus, somebody’s calling my name. 

-- Zan W. Holmes, Jr. in “Encountering Jesus”

#5665

NET FISHING IS A TEAM EFFORT

"So [some of the disciples] went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered. He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.”  (John 21:3b-6 NIV)

Are you better at working solo than working as a team? Are you afraid of surrendering some of your control and power to others? Net fishing is a team effort. You can’t do it by yourself. How did Jesus send His followers out to take the world? In teams. “I can’t be me without you” is one of my mantras. We need each other. Most especially, we need Christ. As the disciples found out, apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5). They caught nothing that night. Without Jesus’ help, they finished in vain. Disciples of Jesus never catch anything without the help of Jesus.

Net fishing is best done with a team of experts who will diminish their own interests for the sake of the success of the team. The ideal team is a team of harmonious difference; not where like meets like, but where difference meets difference. Just as genetic diversity is imperative to the survival of any ecosystem, so pluraformity is imperative to the success of any endeavor. The difference between pluraformity and pluralism? In pluraformity, there are wide divergences around a common core; in pluralism, there is no core and no connections, only centrifuge. The experience of Pentecost – the reversal of Babel – empowers us to recognize and respect differences so that, in Paul’s words, “We may be strengthened in the faith, I by yours and you by mine.” 

-- Leonard Sweet in “A Cup of Coffee at the Soul Café”

#5664

LIVING IN COMMUNITY

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”  (Romans 12:10-16 NIV)

When I think of community, I think of a group of people who want to know me as well as I know myself -- people who challenge my thinking, help me grow, and love me unconditionally.  Community like that is incredibly freeing.

When Jesus encountered the woman at the well in John 4, He told her all about herself.  At first, she was caught off guard and uneasy.  But she soon went back to her town and told everyone to come and meet the man who knew all about her.

As believers, we have a great opportunity to use community to reach others with the gospel.  As we participate in community, people on the outside see that and want to be part of it.  I encourage you to find community and to share that community with others.

-- Toben and Joanne Heim in “Great Expectations”

#5615