Tag Archives: community

37 Ways to Love One Another

August 24, 2011 By in Ecclesiology Tags: , , , 2 Comments

Someone sent me a link with a thorough list of the one another passages of the New Testament confirming my notion that they all constitute intricacies of the ultimate grace of loving within our relationships in the body of Christ.

The author introduces the list with this provocative assertion:

A local church is not built by one man, or even a few men, but by every believer being actively involved in ministry through evangelizing the lost people in their lives and serving their fellow Christians. A quick glance at the practice of the New Testament church reveals that they thought very little about programs and very much about relationships.

For more of his thoughts as well as the complete list of the one another passages for your study and prayer click here.

More Bonds of Brotherhood TT This Sunday

August 23, 2011 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

I was not prepared for the post-service rush last Sunday.

At the close of my message I offered a give away of about ten copies of a recent issue of Tabletalk magazine on fraternity called The Bonds of Brotherhood.

One of my brothers, a football coach in our community, almost took me literally about the tackling thing. I saw my life flash before my eyes as he rushed the pulpit!

Anyway, those copies disappeared faster than Dan would have flattened me on the offensive line. But I have good news! My beloved source from Ligonier has graciously offered to make another thirty to forty copies available for distribution this Sunday.

So if you would like the full treatment on brotherly community in one of the best Tabletalk issues I have read, see me (no tackling please) and I will be happy to gift you one. Please give some serious thought to becoming a subscriber. You won’t regret it.

To whet your appetite, here is a sample from Pastor Burk Parson’s opening article:

Even though many men are completely content with the community and companionship of images, games, and voices on a screen, men desperately need the camaraderie and fraternity of other men. Men are made to experience intimate and authentic, loyal and enduring friendships with other men — on the battlefield, in the foxhole, at the gates of the city, and at the coffee shop on the corner. And while no wise and truly humble man will ever consider himself a hero, each and every man of God by His grace is called to strive to conquer this world, his flesh, and the Devil, shoulder to shoulder with other men who together serve one another in a company of heroes as husbands and dads who serve by leading their wives, families, churches, and communities into fellowship with God.

Oh that God would make us a community of such men at OGC!

The Grace of Serving (Part 1)

August 21, 2011 By in Exposition Tags: , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Today’s message from Galatians 5:1-15 is now on the web. You can listen to the audio here.

I articulated the main theme of the text this way:

So here is my main take away from this text in terms of what it means through love serve one another. Beware turning liberty in Christ into license to sin by serving others through love by practicing biblical peacemaking. Love one another well through a devoted bondslave-like service in so-far-as-it-depends-on-you-live-peaceably-with-all (Rom. 12:18), God-glorifying, Christ-imitating, biblically-informed conflict resolution at every turn.

As promised, here is the link for the September 22-25, here in Orlando, Peacemaker Ministries National Conference, with the theme of Hope in Brokenness.

Christ's Love the Source

August 15, 2011 By in Exposition Tags: , , Leave a comment

I continue to read through the Free Grace Broadcaster edition of Loving One Another as I launch our new series The Graces of Gospel-Shaped Community.

In a reprint of one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons, I came across this powerfully motivating paragraph:

Do you feel the love of God shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost? Knowing is [good], but enjoyment as the result
of believing is better. Does it not sometimes force the tears from your eyes to think that Jesus loved you and gave
Himself for you? On the other hand, does it not at times make you feel as if, like David, you could dance before the
ark of the Lord? To think that the love of God should ever have been set on you? That Christ should die for you?
Ah, think and think again: For you the bloody sweat, for you the crown of thorns, for you the nails, the spear, the
wounds, the broken heart—all, all for love of you who were His enemy! In proportion as your heart is tender and is
sensitive to this love, it will become a constraining influence to your whole life. The force of this influence will also
depend very much upon the grace that dwells within you. You may measure your grace by the power that the love
of Christ has over you. Those who dwell near their Lord are so conscious of His power over them that the very
glances of His eyes fill them with holy ardor. If you have much grace, you will be greatly moved by the love that
gave you that grace and [will be] wondrously sensitive to it. But he who hath little grace, as is the case with not a
few, can read the story of the cross without emotion and can contemplate Jesus’ death without feeling. God deliver
us from a marble heart, cold and hard!

What he said.

The Ultimate Grace of Loving (Part 3)

July 25, 2011 By in Exposition Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Yesterday’s message from 1 John 4:7-12 is now on the web. You can listen to the audio here.

I summarized the text this way:

So treasure the centrality of love – sweet, endless, lavish – love in the Godhead – ultimatley sourced in the Father’s amazing being, historically secured in the Son’s atoning mission, and continually seen through the Spirit’s abiding presence – seen in the intricacies of showing honor, showing hospitality, mutual burden-bearing, and bearing with others and forgiving others.

If you would like to order a subscription to Free Grace Broadcaster, the gratis quarterly publication I mentioned at the top of the message, click here.

May the Lord grant us grace to dress ourselves in the garments of virtue, especially the ultimate grace of loving in our gospel-shaped community.

The Highest Charity

February 22, 2011 By in prayer Tags: , , , , 2 Comments

I opted to preach from Hebrews 13:4 for my wedding sermon last Friday night.

Let marriage be held in honor among all.

The context at the end of chapter 12 urges the reader to offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, since He is a consuming fire. Presumably the bullet points at the top of chapter 13 spell out what that looks like in all kinds of ways, like esteeming marriage as an honorable estate.

But for this post, my attention turns to the first thing on the writer’s list in Hebrews 13:1 – Let brotherly love continue.

Now I can think of a host of specifics which flesh that out in the everyday covenant commitments among followers of Jesus, but none perhaps more virtuous than that of intercessory prayer.

J. C. Ryle, in a tract entitled A Call to Prayer, comments:

This is the highest charity. He loves me best who loves me in his prayers. This is for our soul’s health. It enlarges our sympathies and expands our hearts. This is for the benefit of the church. The wheels of all machinery for extending the gospel are moved by prayer. They do as much for the Lord’s cause who intercede like Moses on the mount, as they do who fight like Joshua in the thick of the battle. This is to be like Christ. He bears the names of his people, as their High Priest, before the Father. Oh, the privilege of being like Jesus! This is to , be a true helper to ministers. If I must choose a congregation, give me a people that pray.

This morning in our weekly prayer/staff meeting six of us prayed through the Tuesday group on the OGC prayer/directory call list. Am I ever glad we did.

Is it time to dust off your copy of that sheet with all those names and phone numbers? Why not lay a little charity of the highest form tomorrow on the J through Ms?

And then just keep on rolling through the rest of the week and beyond so that love of the brethren might continue in our precious flock.

V-8 & Community Life

August 9, 2010 By in Ecclesiology, Personal Reflection Tags: , , 3 Comments

With permission I post these reflections of one of our recently installed new members at OGC, Connie Wilder.

Are you ever amazed at the promises of God when they come to fruition? Don’t you just want to do the V-8 smack on the head and shout “Wow, I could have had these blessings all along!”?

Since becoming a member of the OGC community a mere three weeks ago, the flood of blessing inferred in community life has poured over me, filling my heart beyond my belief with the joy of my salvation.

I have shared in the Lord’s Supper with an inner humility and thanksgiving never before experienced.

I have heard the sharing of missionaries that has stirred my heart for the Gospel and the lost.

I have attended prayer meetings with a renewed passion and boldness and privilege to be in the throne room of God.

I have shed joyful tears as mothers and fathers brought their children to the “temple” to dedicate their families to serve and follow God.

I expect to witness the baptism of new believers later this month and anticipate a sense of celebration.

I toyed with this faithful body and pastor shepherd for years. I praise God for the words of life that finally convicted me of this need and lack in my obedience.

Wow, I could have had these community blessings for years.

Thanks, Connie, for sharing with us how God has worked in your life.

May we all learn and grow from your experience by faithfully giving ourselves with renewed zeal to the commitments and benefits of covenant community!

Gospel in Life – Fall 9:30 Equipping Hour for Adults

August 2, 2010 By in Sunday Morning Tags: , , , , 1 Comment

I am super jazzed that the leadership team recently agreed to offer Gospel in Life, a DVD/Bible study/group discussion series featuring Tim Keller of Redeemer Pres in New York, during the 9:30 hour for adults this fall.

Gospel in Life is an intensive eight-session (we plan to stretch things out through the end of the year) course on the gospel and how it is lived out in all of life—first in our hearts, then in community, and out into the world.

Here is the video trailer:

We chose to adopt this curriculum for a church-wide emphasis (we’ll be offering another edition of Discover OGC, our newcomer orientation series, as well) this fall in keeping with our mission to do bridge building into the surrounding community for the sake of the cause of Christ.

The subtitle for this series is Grace Changes Everything. Pray with me that God’s grace works powerfully through this curriculum as we continue to seek to be a church on mission in Central Florida.

More information and details coming soon!