Reality London

Hey friends, things are good here in London-town. Its been a cram session getting ready to visit the States and preparing for the prayer tour. Pray with us, that God would continue to open an effective door to us in London.. 

Here is a blurb about what we talked about and prayed on this week.  

 

Our calling and mission as a church is to be in community and on mission to the Glory of God. If we are going to live out the N.T. model of church, we must be continually engaging in God and one another through Jesus as a redeemed community identified and built upon the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Gal. 2:20; Heb. 10:19-25; 1 Pet. 2:1-10)   

So the definition of community has never been settled and is an ongoing discussion among the intelligentsia, in whose company I am not, but here is my basic definition for the sake of this discussion.

Community = Common-Unity - Or a group of individuals united in a shared commonality (i.e. location, language, religion, etc.) The expression and byproduct of community is culture (art, media, institutions, customs, traditions, attitudes, etc.) thus a community can be defined by culture. It can be agreed then that what creates and builds community is relationships. Relationship is the key to community.

Now, Prior to the rising influence of western culture and philosophy, individual identity was more or less wrapped up in each individuals respective pre-existing community, established family, or tribe. One would define themselves as part of a whole in contrast to an isolated individual. Naturally, with this relational reference and dependancy followed a measure of responsibility and accountability to the community they identified with. One wasn't so free to live autonomously. 

Today however, for the most part in modern western culture, individuality is defined by self actualization, which is more dispositional as opposed to a respective role, distinct, and apart from relationship and community, but is enhanced and solidified through relationships. Hence we have the “Rugged Individualist” that is defined in terms of self-sufficiency and independence. We are living in an age of the autonomous that proclaims, “I AM AN INDIVIDUAL!” “I am independent” and "I will not be defined by any one or anything".  

This is contrary to what God has intended :  Gen. 1:26  Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..." 

God is relational! God is an individual community of three. Within the trinity, personhood is defined by relationship: father, son, spirit; and yet the three persons are distinct in terms of their relationship. Distinct individual parts of one.  

In light of this, past and present theologians have been defining human personhood, in the image of God, to be trinitarian, and defined solely upon our relationship to others (Based on the Vertical and Horizontal levels; our relationship with God and with man).  

Thus, rugged individualism, creates greater brokenness and death because it defies our relational nature. We are not our own “individuals” independently free to define and choose who we are of our own volition. We are relational beings, because God created us in his image. We are not self-contained persons, only God is because He is eternal. Therefore, for man to insist upon carrying out an autonomous independent existence is to seek to be like God, which is pride and the epitome of sin (Proverbs 18:1; Romans 1).   

With this in mind, all of humanity in general, is defined first and foremost in relationship to Adam, and therefore all are born into and exist in a community of fallen, broken, sinful rebellion that declares, I am God, I am not dependent nor accountable to anyone or anything. I will be and do what pleases my will, which is complete relational brokenness.    

What we have then, outside of God’s intervention, is humanity Identified by their relationship to Adam, living in rebellion, relationally broken, driving towards death and destruction and yet calling it sophistication or advancement.

But God has intervened and created a new humanity, identified and enveloped in relationship to Himself, which is a redeemed humanity (humanity as He intended). this began with God’s call upon Abraham and is realized and culminated through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Gen. 12:1 Abraham was “called out” from his nation and family (his identity) to become a new nation in relationship to God. 

This relationship is established in Ex.19:4-6, 24:1-8 through the law and sacrificial system. Israel's identity was enveloped in their relationship to God, bound by the covenant of the Law, and maintained through the sacrificial system. But it wasn’t complete, nor would it be complete until the messiah, and Israel failed to fulfill their role of revealing the glory of God to the nations. But God was faithful to His initial covenant with Abraham and held a remnant that looked forward to a greater fulfillment (the new covenant).   

Jeremiah 31:31 - This new covenant was founded upon and completed through Jesus’ Christ’s work in His life, death, and resurrection, has been sealed in His blood, and held through His faithfulness (Luke 22:14).

Therefore, when we repent of our sin, and put our faith upon the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the place of punishment for our rebellion in Adam, we are saved, and born in to God's redeemed humanity bound in the New Covenant. We become identified with and in Christ through faith and repentance.    

Thus we have God’s redeemed humanity in completion, identified and existing in relationship with God the Father, through God the Son, in God the Holy Spirit, and called to be a testimony of salvation to all nations to the Glory of God. 

This community, this redeemed humanity, is the CHURCH - Matt. 1616-18 -The Church is the “called out” or “assembly” of people who share in the life of God together as individual parts of a whole, which is Biblically called the body of Christ. We are complete in Christ alone.  

The Problem today in the church, is the fact that we live in a secular pluralistic society which testifies that religion is and should be a personal individual and private matter only. This mind-set invades the christian community with the attitude that says “I can be a believer and not be committed or share in christian community. Church is only part of my individual life because I don’t have time to give myself to community."

This is a grievous hypocrisy. Each one of us is the Church! When we give ourselves to Jesus, we are joining in relationship with God and subsequently everyone else who have given their lives to Jesus! You cannot be independent of the Christian community because to be in Christ is to be in community. 

Heb. 10:19-25 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 

 

1 Peter 2  also teaches us that we are a new people, a redeemed people, being built together upon and identified in Christ who is the foundation. Christ, The Word is at the center, and we are built together, upon, and around Him alone (not us and Him). 

           

Knowing this, we need to begin viewing the Church as the center and core of our identity as opposed to part of our individual and self-centered existence, and the essence of this Biblical view is the surrendering, sharing, and giving of ourselves to God and each other in community. We must engage! 

This is what fellowship / communion is: 1 John 1:3 - that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 

This is what the early Church experienced! Their lives were completely enveloped in Jesus and each other. They lived their lives not independently, but shared in community together as distinct individual members of a whole. 

Acts 2:46-47 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. 

We are God’s “called out” people. Called to live as a redeemed community, identified and centered upon Jesus, The Word of God, proclaiming to this world the salvation of God through our worship of God, to the Glory of God. When this is lived out, God is most glorified and the church is most fruitful. 

If we are going to live out the N.T. model of church, we must be continually engaging in God and one another through Jesus as a redeemed community identified and built upon the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the glory of God.