BELIEVE 16: Biblical Community
February 8, 2015
Acts 2:42-47
You may or may not have been happy with the results of last week’s Super Bowl. If you were a Seahawks fan you were tasting victory, only to have a crazy play take away your victory. The opposite was true for Patriots fans.
• Imagine how many hours you spent watching the pregame and game.
• Add up the calories consumed while watching the game and consoling or celebrating afterwards.
• Maybe you couldn’t see the television well or you couldn’t hear it well.
• Maybe there were coaching decisions you didn’t like.
• Possibly there were officiating calls you didn’t agree with.
• Maybe you didn’t agree with the announcers.
• Maybe you didn’t like the half-time show from Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz.
• Or quite possibly the National Anthem wasn’t the same tune you prefer.
• They changed the rules, too much change.
• Maybe you’re sick and tired of football. You were forced to watch too many games as a child.
• Maybe the game lasted too long and people talked too long.
• Your seat was uncomfortable.
• It was too hot in the room.
• It was too cold in the room.
• Maybe the only good thing was nobody asked you for money.
• And if you went to the game, you certainly gave quite an offering.
Any clue where I’m going with this? Can we substitute some of these when it comes to worship? Do we ever hear comments like these about worship. We can have all types of excuses and lots of complaints.
We’re now past the half way point of the Believe Series, as we’ve moved into Week 16 — and we’re heading towards the home stretch of our 30 week journey. Today we’re looking at Biblical Community. What is it? Where does it happen? How do we make it happen? Who is involved? Why participate in it? We can ask lots of questions about true biblical community. The “WHY” is really important?
If we’re part of a biblical community, then this community should make a difference in our lives, which helps us make a difference in the lives of others surrounding us as we also make a difference in the world. So, what difference does biblical community make in our lives?
We’re coming off of two deep weeks where we looked at having a Single Minded Focus on Christ and last week was Total Surrender. They were a great lead in —
I want to look at one of the great passages about the church. Luke gives us a great description of the church in Acts 2. Acts is the first book after the gospels. It’s the 5th book in the NT. The church was just beginning and let’s look at Acts 2:42-47. Jesus had ascended to heaven, Peter had given the first sermon; the new Christians were coming together and this is how Luke described the church ~
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Who wouldn’t love to be part of a community like that? It’s amazing they had not been formed for very long. That’s almost mind boggling what they were able to accomplish. This was community at its best! What was happening was awesome.
In a sense this passage answers the WHAT question. What is biblical community? It’s a group of Christ - followers who are not all about themselves, but who are looking out for one another, open to being taught, praying together, helping one another, caring for one another, forgiving one another, encouraging one another, sharing with one another, eating with one another. Bottom line — they were loving one another.
They were sharing the powerful love they had received from Christ. They could think of no other way to live, than to live in the love of Christ and share that with one another and others. Then the Lord blessed their community by adding more and more people to their community, and those newcomers were welcomed.
If we could travel back through time and sit down in their homes and ask them why they were meeting together, why they were risking their lives, I think they might simply tell us ~ Everything we do is because Jesus calls us to do it.
Jesus is the why. The WHY always comes back to the author and originator of the church. Who’s the head of the church? Jesus. He’s the WHY. He must always be the WHY.
Notice Luke is writing about “all who believed.” These are the ones who heard Peter’s sermon describing how Jesus was the answer to the Old Testament prophecies. He declared Jesus as “Lord and Christ.”
And they knew what to do and how to do it because they had the WHY ~ Jesus. They could not believe in Jesus and remain isolated from each other because the Jesus they believed in lived His life in community. He came not to be served, but to serve others. You can only serve one another when you’re in community.
You see, this community really began way before there was ever something called — humanity. Jesus has eternally been part of the Godhead — — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It must be one of our core beliefs. God is a fellowship and community of equals who share all they have and are with each other.
There are two words to describe their relationship. The first word is ~~
PERICHORESIS – is a term used in the theology of the Trinity. It is used to indicate the intimate union, mutual indwelling, or mutual interpenetration of the three members of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) with each other.
The other word is CIRCUMINCESSION – it is the theological doctrine of the reciprocal existence of the three persons of the Trinity in one another.
The Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit has 100% perfect love. Here is a picture of them ~ The Father flows into the Son and Spirit; just as the Son flows into the Father and Spirit; and the Spirit flows into the Father and Son — — it all happens at the same time. No holding back, no pettiness, no envy, no jealousy – simply and profoundly . . . a pouring of one into the other.
Perichoresis is seen in John 16:14, when Jesus said, 14 The Holy Spirit will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.
And in John 17:1, Jesus prayed, 17 Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
So what we see is this — — the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son, the Son glorifies the Father, and the Father glorifies the Son. It is a constant flowing of one to the other and results in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit giving glory to one another.
What happens is this . . . perichoresis allows the individuality of the 3 persons of the trinity to be maintained; while at the same time each person shares in the life of the other two. They keep their distinctive identity; yet flow into the others and are flowed into by them.
Now consider the fact that we were created in the image of God. We have the possibility to love one another as we maintain our identity. We do that in marriage don’t we. We should keep our identity, yet our love should be freely flowing into our spouse as well. We don’t do it for our glory, but for the glory of God.
This should also happen within the church. Many of us have maybe experienced that. But some of us have not. It shouldn’t be foreign. We have the power through the Holy Spirit to heal, and extend love and grace, strength and hope.
Why does this get messed up? It’s simple - - - SIN! Sin destroys community. We want what we want. We become bitter, nothing we do is good in someone else’s eyes. We thank those who will profit us the most. Sometimes we do that unconsciously and sometimes we are very well aware of what we are doing.
There are scads of scripture references I can give you about the way we should live. Consider Paul’s words in Philippians 2. Just before he talks about how Christ humbled himself, he talks about our role ~
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:1-4
Then as Paul talks about the church, consider these words from Ephesians 4 ~
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call —
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
That’s a call for unity! Now consider these words from Jesus’ prayer in John 17 ~
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. – John 17:20-23
Jesus is praying for PERICHORESIS within the church.
Jesus said, I in them and you in me! Why!? So we would become PERFECTLY ONE. That’s the goal! We become perfectly one people, not because we are identical. But because we have ONE Christ, ONE God, ONE Father, ONE Spirit, ONE Faith.
Isn’t this amazing? I believe we’re to function just like the Trinity functions. Love being poured and flowing from one person into the other. Imagine if the world saw that in Christ-followers?
Not one time in the Bible do I find the phrase . . . discourage one another, pick on one another, don’t greet one another, go the other way when you see one another, diss one another. I don’t see that!
What do I see? Stop your pettiness! Stop grumbling, complaining, disputing and arguing! Put others ahead of yourself! Don’t think too highly of yourself! Be 1!
Encourage one another! Everyday, greet one another. In fact, Paul tells us greet one another with a holy kiss! Imagine that! That’s what we should be doing! That’s the beginning formation of the most powerful community this world has ever experienced. Do we do that?
Are there some of us who just don’t like another for whatever reason, so you don’t greet them?! That’s wrong. That’s sin. It’s murdering the heart and spirit of a brother or sister in Christ. If the Spirit of God has hit you right now . . . and you know I’m talking to you . . . and you say, “Oh God forgive me” . . . that’s a great start, but your next step is much harder and more rewarding . . . go to your brother or sister in Christ and ask for their forgiveness, then you’ve won them back; and there is great rejoicing in heaven and on earth!
Then we gain a little more community, a little more of the Spirit of Christ! A little more power to make a difference for Christ. And all of this comes from our last two weeks of talking about Single minded focus on Christ and Total Surrender.
You know the church I was ordained in was a smaller church. About 60 members. There were lots of needs. The first day I attended, I was asked to serve on a committee. UGH! But they were some of the friendliest, genuinely friendly people I had ever met. That’s what sold me on the church. It wasn’t the music, it wasn’t the preaching or teaching, it was the spirit of the people in the church.
Think about the men Jesus called to be disciples. Notice who He chose: a tax collector, some fishermen, a zealot, a betrayer, and a doubter.
There is nothing these men had in common with each other except Jesus. They left everything to follow Jesus and learn from Him. They not only heard teachings about community. They saw and experienced community. And Jesus was the one who would keep them together.
Jesus is the “why” for anything they did — — and that is why the disciples in Acts 2 behaved as they did. They knew their purpose. And so we discover the “how” that flowed out of their “why” was this: they devoted themselves.
They adhered to one another. That’s what Luke is talking about. Just like those early believers. They would never have devoted themselves if they did not know why. It was all because Jesus was the WHY.
That’s the way the church is supposed to be with one another. We adhere to one another. Because we are devoted to one another.
We already do a great job, but we can all do better. I would like everyone to raise your arm. Now raise it higher. You see, what you thought was high was not your best. Now, raise it even higher. The same is true in the church. We are to love one another. We do it by having what I will call a Perichoretical church.
That’s a church where love flows, constantly, nondiscriminatly. The love flows through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit into us. It’s being constantly filled with the Spirit, like we talked about last week from Ephesians 5:18.
Then we take that power which was poured into us and pour it into one another, and when we do that . . . look out world. We become that biblical community Christ called us to be . . . First Church of Perichoresis.
