004-Church is not a 4-Letter Word

Hey friends, welcome to the thread cast. This is Ryan Smith pastor coming through a church. Hope you're having a good day today, The subjects were walking through and talking about and hopefully discussion on it to look at scripture or not just to look at topics and just actually to figure out how they apply to us. How do we live them out? And so we're in the midst of this study the book of Romans backwards reusing Scott McKnight's book reading Romans backwards to help guide us in this and so we started in chapter 16 kind of work your way back. And right now we're actually kind of in a miniseries inside of the series itself and in Romans 12 through 16, the last section of Romans Paul Bruce worse this concept of lived. I did what it means to actually live at what you believe to this idea that you were to be transformed. Like Christ is concept to become like Christ meant to be something more and so he says in Romans 12 means to be transformed by the last week. We talked about the concept of what it means to be God oriented decided that your life is dedicated to something greater than you are. The Divine or Four Paws specifically looks like to give your life to them and what it means to spend a relationship with them. The second marker that were talking about this week is is called the body of Christ oriented and that's just turkey words for this concept of church to share intentionality. And I want you to hear in the gospels in the New Testament in Jesus's teaching. There is this concept is invitation for everyone but they're all there also is a distinction for those who are in for those who are a part of the king for those who have joined in who have given their lives who are part of this right and doesn't extend it to others but there is something about what it means to be a part of the body of Christ to be a part of the church. And so that's the second support for common thread the three markers that we talked about. What does it mean to be a Christ follower to be someone who striving to become treat them like we use the concept of this triangle. Can we talk about the up in and out that they're all relational that the app is there is a God or a relationship is it but for today we're in this concept discussion about the body of Christ, but we have to go back to last week's first stage of God orientation and to have a relationship with the Divine. There is a real Temptation when you can have this temptation to become very individual individualistic. I'm to be very focused on you talk about being God or in it to have a relationship with with the Divine with Yahweh and then it is never exclusive of others that there's always Set that we have her do a relationship with a Divine did that there is there's others that are involved in the passage. Is this Romans 12 with his idea of a dismissed Townsend to become more God oriented and went through this for by the grace given me I say to everyone of you do not think of yourself more highly than you ought the rather think of yourself as sober judgment in accordance with the face of God. The faith God has distributed to each of you for just as each of us has one body with many members and these members do not all have the same function. So in Christ, we do many for one body each member has to all the others.

Meanings right one is that if you go this individualistic route is it's really easy to think and I can have a relationship with God. I don't need the church. I don't need all those Hypocrites. I don't need any this is me and God, we're good to go right and intercept lot of people who talk that. We need to be a part of the church. You don't need to be devoted to a group of people to to have relations with God and I was suggested that is not part of the formula and it's so that you don't think highly of yourself right now, but then there's another way to look at that kind of phrase is it if you do embrace the community Does sometimes and is really we've seen in Rome is it talks about the week in the strong is sometimes the community itself can be divided right that some people can think of themselves more highly than the others that I know more than you or I have a better relationship. Where do I carry more cloud, or I've been I've done this ride in that I might be weak you might be strong or I might be strong my be with you whatever it is to start to compare into the temptation to think of yourself more highly right, but he goes on to say that you're not getting through this body concept is that when you become part of this body that each member belongs to all the others that there is not one greater than the other that when you've are the finger of the foot is the mouse, whatever it might be a long. To all the others, right? And there's a there's not the sense of ownership. But almost this this idea of submission that that's what it means to be a part of the body. So there's that you only think of the concept of body. Will you meet Lee go to the human figure right and specifically but I also want to just got through some bad to you that I think is kind of need to think through as well. And it's this idea that the word body in the Greek the where is the word stoma and this is a another reference and the Rome has the Roman Empire and its various governmental.

Focusrite and so the word Soma the word body would also be Define for people a a body of politics. And so so it's the same work here and then if you think starting about the word church and isn't that the word is ekklesia the word reference gathered citizens in a political assembly. so what I want you to hear that when the original readers heard this reference, they didn't just think of the physical body reference. But when they heard the word that there was Luke political overtones that they wouldn't have missed this and so I did remember we're talking about how to replace power and privilege ritual readers would have heard is that these local house churches that exist in Rome. Did they have the potential to be an alternative body of politics? Okay to remember we've been talking about is a third way of thinking it's not this idea that we're going to create this vicious cycle of a replace power with more power. We're going to take over your the way that the Jews expected right or wrong coronavirus not what's happening here, but at the same time, it's not this I'm a Whipping Boy and I'm going to do nothing just turn the other cheek and there's nothing challenge allows to be weak. He causes us to be strong but in a different way and so this is Paul's introduction to how to replace power attack. The political structure is through the body through the church through the stoma through the ekklesia now if you want to dive deeper into this and this is might be a little too deep for Not that I'm smart. I'm still wrestling with this concept as well. But it's it's a really cool. So if the church is the church in the end it is the SEC lesya becomes this political alternative. If you will, you also have to recognize that wouldn't when Paul talks about the church. He also talks about the Holy Spirit. The holy spirit is the one that animates the church. He's the one that gives the power to the church and through the sphere in through the kingship of Christ & Holy spirit that this new body politika of Church of Equus see it is also offering a new emperor that there's a new emperor in town through these local churches. I am and that is a pound of because if you remember that the Roman Empire at the very least the Divine for this with this Duplicate Overtown not just offer a different governance. But a new devotion that when you devote yourself to this body to this church, something was afoot that. You are replacing power and privilege but not in the way that it's always done before for the challenge Q2. I live in a body to live in a group of people to be devoted to this this mean in Romans 12 13 and 14 and even 15 and 16 how to do this, but I want to point out to versus real quick and and it's really and there's more tea twenties, but I just have time to just do that these do versus real quick because I have the same concept except the one who's

It's so I'm there's this idea of accepting knows who you differ with. And then if you go to 15 accepted you in order to bring praise to God that is weird except I didn't get into the Greek a little bit. It's the same in both in 41 and 15 7. It's the same word that can also be translated as welcome and it's not just this idea of yeah, I accept you but you're still on the outside or yeah, you know, you're my brother, but that's what this word except for this word. Welcome in Furs is his idea of telephone table Fellowship is idea that you were inviting this other person into your life into your world into your existence figuratively, but also literally that you invite them to your house to your table because table Was not just a meal but there was something theological something political was something socio-economic it was this concept of acceptance and so he's challenged Christ accepted you he welcomes you into his family and Lily invite you to his table and provide for you. And so I am challenging you to do the same to others that you are called to to not do to be the body. You have to invite others into your world at your table. Tivoli and literally to be a part of my team. That's what it means to be a body of Christ oriented. Its you to focus on your end.

Is so you. Okay? Okay, I get this is this is this is a big deal because it's really just inviting people that are on a lot of things and you think differently and so it's really easy to separate but no I want you guys to share live together. Okay? Why it why do we do this? Is this out in the next few verses 8 through 13. I want to walk you through this. So an eight and nine of chapter 15 says this for I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth so that the promises made to the Patriarchs might be confirmed and moreover that the Gentiles my glorify God for his Mercy. Is some here pause making a bold statement that says that Jesus became a servant of the Jews. A servant of the Gentiles that this is a Jewish Nation had centuries of of of of truth of how God work through than the he separated them and they were the ones who says that Jesus agrees with that but he did something more and exploded it out to the Gentiles and so is everybody that you're either in or you're gentle that was the only two distinctions in the world at the time for them? And so this is a declaration that the Christ his kingdom and his body is for everyone. And then Paul goes on to say hey, if you don't believe me, I'm going to eat here in 10 through 12. He starts quoting Old Testament scripture in these are in and it's in a quotation marks. These are all I'm Different passages the attachments as it is written. Therefore. I will praise you among the Gentiles. I will sing the Praises of your name again. It says Rejoice you Gentiles with this people again, praise the Lord all you Gentiles, but all the people that stole him again Isaiah says the root of Jesse will spring up one who will rise to rule over the nation's in him the Gentiles will hope this is something new. This is something I did the Gentiles are welcome in this has been a part of the plan for all along. Look at the Old Testament in God's plan there that he is for everyone and everyone has an invitation to be part of God's body is communities in the end if you will. He closes this with the kind of an expectation. He says may the god of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, May the god of Hope. Fill you with all joy and peace as I did that he's almost making the same as I understand that for the week in the strong for for those who disagree it is going to be hard to share your table together to share live together and peace so that you can trust him in a living out. This is living at the same table as those that you might hate that you might see to do what they say is completely wrong, but but he said there's something beautiful to say that that that when this happens that my hope shines to the world that's powerful, right?

Why is this so important? Why is this yours is there's one thing to happen to have the in group right? There's always there's clubs. There's there's all kind of things are going. We understand but usually those groups on our Sumer there their they're people who look alike talk like you had the same Community is going to be a group of people who differ. Who disagree? If we're honest, you know splitting up segregating it's a different groups. It happens. It happens in church is right and there's even passages in scripture where it's okay sometimes to split right we get that the world gets that but splitting and separating is not Supernatural. What is truly Supernatural is when a groups when groups of people come together who shouldn't come together? Is live at peace and live with joy and share life together. That is truly. What is infectious about what it means to be transformed by Christ. And so I hear the second marker as someone who is is being transformed like Christ is to be committed. To God's body to Christ body and I want you here this that there is a distinction hear that there is this disqualification. If you will that's not just a group of people want to beat get together an insurer meals and recipes. I got the people who have given to the first marker have given that that we are going to get our lives to Yahweh to God to the Divine to something greater than we are in the word a walk together in that as a group. Is it something that we are is so, you know, I want to give you a name for breast a Common Thread. Sometimes we talk about this. So what what is this? What is this mean for us? What are we going to do with this?

The first one is this. Are you connected to the end? I want to reference at the end is Maya's is coming through his language. This is ask using the are triangle. Are you connected to the body of Christ? Are you connected to church are you connected to the internet? But I want you to hear this that when you answer this question, it doesn't discipline mean.

It's not asking do you go to church? Do you attend a worship service? What is really happening? Here? It is. It's it's are you connected to people are you sharing life? Are you sharing a table? If people are you literally are you sharing something deeper than these days to go to church to sit where we want to do your thing and then get out and then call that good for the rest of the week. Being committed to the body of Christ being related to that. It's not just a one-day-a-week a one-hour we kind of deal. There's something deeper to it that you're committed to sharing life. Did I think it did when we see are you connected to the internet connected to a group of people? It's not just a group of friends. It's people who are centered on the Divine who are centered on Jesus as Lord and it is and it's it's a it's a dedicated.

The same questions. This is your in diverse. Can we talk about diversity and that's a big catch were these days right here to get cultural diversity ratio the diversity economic diversity. Did the challenge here, even if you take it into romances is those things are challenges.

That is the kicker. Is there a hour in shouldn't ever all look the same and it's tough because because it's hard to have an in-group right? It's hard to have a group of people that you share life with and and especially if we disagree on things we don't see, you know, if there's something that we that we post about that is very different. But to be someone who is transformed like Jesus your end is going to be reversed is going to have people who sees scripture differently who talk differently who had different economic resources. All those things that you're in is not meant to be one color if you will. The second question is what does hospitality look like today on This Is War kind of abstract, but I think it's something that we need to wrestle with this idea of what is what it look like to have table Fellowship to stay because we have and it's hard to to have people literally at your table and then technology, right? We've got more people who are more connected technologically, you know, we had we carry smartphones with us everywhere we go we have access to all these different things as to what is it going to look like to share life to share table. Nothing beautiful in that and I think there's something I think that's that will never go away. But the same time we always need to be a source of what is what is the cost of hospitality happening live differently in 2 days if we can show Hospitality that are unique to our culture into our setting but the same time still What it means to be hospitable in Rome would you also are going to see in these these chapters 12 through 16 going to see a concept of what it means to not put stumbling box. If we're going to be going to be a diverse group of people that far in is going to be the verse then ways to write notes. Do I only have people over that are going to wear masks or do I only have people over who won't wear masks or whatever might be either you have to be simple as it when I have people over if they're vegan. What are there vegetarian? What if what if we just meet each of you know, there's all kinds of questions of what that means is so so it's it's really you when you're being hospitable. It's not just what makes me comfortable and what I'm couple with and if you don't like it, you can suck it up. It's my house or it's my it's my group right know the idea of what it means to be have a diverse group as its you think of ways that your life could be a stumbling block to someone else and you try to find ways to be more inclusive and exclusive. Is it go to the questions? I want to give to you to wrestle with on we're going to talk about those and and in faith life this week. What is that look like for you to love to have your your your your thoughts on that, but I don't want to miss this opportunity, And the way that we're living out our end is is a is what we call our table groups and what these are for us is literally on we are taking table fellowship and that we have small groups of people. It's not a small group Bible study. I want you to hear that it's a group of people who beat two to three times a month are consisted in ensuring life together. They get together around a table sometimes sometimes they have your people bring their own meals idea that you were going to get together and you are going to be intentional about what it means to live the up in and out and there is going to be a small group of people who are Connected to each other and who are intentional and sharing life and looking out for each other. And so and also are our table groups have a service component to him as well as it's not just meant to be this little coaster of people that build walls around it. No one's welcome. But it's also how are table groups going to serve our people that were in our in our circles everywhere in contact with him anywhere that's work-related school. And so we're challenging people to do that as well. If you want to take a deep breath and let us know if we are building table groups all the time. And we are we are located at in different places now, we're located in central Arkansas. We have people in Indiana, and we also have people now in the UK and so if you're in those areas, then we can push you into table group immediately and get you going. But also if you're not if you're listening to this thread cast from a different location, It's really interest. You let us know because we are very intentional about building these little micro churches. If you will have to come to us if we build it. You will come. No, it's it's we have something that we want to share that you begin to build. And so let us know and we can help you get that started. That's what it that's the second marker is that we are people who are committed to the body of Christ to church to the end. We can please join us in our faith Life Application in discussion of this further Grace and peace.