Jesus Community

What did community look and feel like for Jesus?

By community, I am referring to the community that Jesus created and demonstrated during his time. Life and ministry.

In simple terms I would describe it as:

Cross cultural:
Jesus crossed every available cultural barrier to announce and practice the Kingdom.

Counter cultural:
Jesus was offering an alternative to the dominant cultural and religious options in his world.

Inclusive:
Jesus was creating community that included all of the excluded at every level. He did this– as he did all of his community movement– with total intentionality.

Kingdom Gospel-centered:
Jesus the King made the reality of the present and coming Kingdom of God the center of his movement. This center was clearly seen, and stood in contrast to the “Kingdom boundary” thinking of other Jews.

God-centered:
God is present and active, as Father, as Son and as Spirit. Creator, and redeemer of a broken and lost world.

Confrontative:
Jesus confronted the powers at every level, using the weapons of love, truth and the Holy Spirit.

Radical:
Jesus’ version of community was radical in its nature and demands. Compare it to the expectations people had of family and religion.

Sacrificial:
Jesus’ community was identified with sacrifice, i.e. a willingness to suffer that God’s will might be done.

Healing:
Jesus’ movement was restorative, including praying for and working for healing of persons and relationships. (This included spiritual warfare and deliverance.)

Didactic: Jesus constantly taught his disciples his constantly reflect on the meaning of the Kingdom of God.

Prayerful:
Jesus taught his disciples to pray.

Invitational and Open:
All were invited to come. All were invited to believe in Jesus as the messiah.

Non-institutional (in its continuing essence):
Jesus gave few if any indications that his movement would take on serious institutional forms. It may have institutional expressions and fruits, but that isn’t the essence of the movement. At its core, it is a movement of the Spirit that does not need institutions to exist. (Sorry people who I’ve just offended. I’m NOT saying institutions AREN’T the church. I’m saying “Institution does not EQUAL Jesus’ community.”

Non-political.
“my Kingdom is not of this world.”

Missional:
Jesus’ movement was focused on the Gospel ministry and engaged in other kinds of ministry that established the presence and power of God’s compassionate Kingdom.

Becoming part of this movement was what it meant to be a follower and Disciple of Jesus.

SERMON OUTLINE - Sunday Evening Service - 16th OCTOBER 2011

Introduction:  "The Glorious Church"

General Statement on what God thinks of the Church.

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians. What it contains.

Three Divisions in the Letter..... which are summed up in Watchman Nee's book "Sit, Walk, Stand"

Our position in Christ - "Sit" (2:6)

Our Life in the World - "Walk" (4:1)

Our Attitude to the Enemy - "Stand" (6:11)

Quote:- Watchman Nee. "The life of the Believer always presents these three aspects - to God, to Man, and to the Satanic powers. To be useful in God's hand a person must be properly adjusted in respect of all three: Their position, Their life, Their warfare"

Walking in the truth of what God has done.

This is the story of the whole epistle, but here in particular.

What Paul means by "Walking" Chapter 4:1, 17, Chapter 5:2

Walking, living and dwelling, occupying, living out the truth of the cross and resurrection.

Live then in what you have been taught and learned of Christ" (Para)

HOW DO WE WALK, HOW DO WE LIVE, HOW DO WE LIVE OUT WHAT GOD HAS DONE.

There are two sides to this. What we think (Belief, Attitude) and What we do (Action, Conduct) Paul speaks of both in this passage, in some key verses.

Key Verse 1: Vs 23 "Be renewed in the Spirit of your mind"

Telling ourselves the truth is one of the themes here in this portion of the passage. When we tell ourselves the truth, we renew our mind and we align ourselves with the work of God

Key Verse 2: Vs 22 and 24 "Put off former conduct and put on new man"

Behaviour follows, or flows from a mind that has been transformed and aligned to the finished work of Christ.

Attitudes and Actions:

The passage therefore is concentrating on our attitudes and actions. Our beliefs and behaviour, our Our Faith and Conduct..

A, Beliefs

B, Behaviour.

The Futility of the mind and the mind of the believer.

Paul links again the behaviour of the old life with the futility of the gentile or worldly mind, that is against the things of God. Of course we need to conscious here that Paul is speaking of what God has done and how the church has to live in the truth.We cannot live in the truth if we continue to think like those who have no heart for God.

Conclusion: of God.

God has worked out his plan from eternity for a glorious church, of which we are part. Faith in the cross and the finished work of Jesus is the centre of the transformed life

SERMON OUTLINE - Sunday Evening Service - 16th OCTOBER 2011

Introduction:  "The Glorious Church"

General Statement on what God thinks of the Church.

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians. What it contains.

Three Divisions in the Letter..... which are summed up in Watchman Nee's book "Sit, Walk, Stand"

Our position in Christ - "Sit" (2:6)

Our Life in the World - "Walk" (4:1)

Our Attitude to the Enemy - "Stand" (6:11)

Quote:- Watchman Nee. "The life of the Believer always presents these three aspects - to God, to Man, and to the Satanic powers. To be useful in God's hand a person must be properly adjusted in respect of all three: Their position, Their life, Their warfare"

Walking in the truth of what God has done.

This is the story of the whole epistle, but here in particular.

What Paul means by "Walking" Chapter 4:1, 17, Chapter 5:2

Walking, living and dwelling, occupying, living out the truth of the cross and resurrection.

Live then in what you have been taught and learned of Christ" (Para)

HOW DO WE WALK, HOW DO WE LIVE, HOW DO WE LIVE OUT WHAT GOD HAS DONE.

There are two sides to this. What we think (Belief, Attitude) and What we do (Action, Conduct) Paul speaks of both in this passage, in some key verses.

Key Verse 1: Vs 23 "Be renewed in the Spirit of your mind"

Telling ourselves the truth is one of the themes here in this portion of the          passage. When we tell ourselves the truth, we renew our mind and we align            ourselves with the work of God

Key Verse 2: Vs 22 and 24 "Put off former conduct and put on new man"

Behaviour follows, or flows from a mind that has been transformed and aligned to the finished work of Christ.

Attitudes and Actions:

The passage therefore is concentrating on our attitudes and actions. Our beliefs and behaviour, our Our Faith and Conduct..

A, Beliefs

B, Behaviour.

The Futility of the mind and the mind of the believer.

Paul links again the behaviour of the old life with the futility of the gentile or worldly mind, that is against the things of God. Of course we need to conscious here that Paul is speaking of what God has done and how the church has to live in the truth.We cannot live in the truth if we continue to think like those who have            no heart for God.

Conclusion: of God.

God has worked out his plan from eternity for a glorious church, of which we are part. Faith in the cross and the finished work of Jesus is the centre of the transformed life

SERMON OUTLINE - Sunday Evening Service - 16th OCTOBER 2011

Introduction:  "The Glorious Church"

General Statement on what God thinks of the Church.

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians. What it contains.

Three Divisions in the Letter..... which are summed up in Watchman Nee's book "Sit, Walk, Stand"

Our position in Christ - "Sit" (2:6)

Our Life in the World - "Walk" (4:1)

Our Attitude to the Enemy - "Stand" (6:11)

Quote:- Watchman Nee. "The life of the Believer always presents these three aspects - to God, to Man, and to the Satanic powers. To be useful in God's hand a person must be properly adjusted in respect of all three: Their position, Their life, Their warfare"

Walking in the truth of what God has done.

This is the story of the whole epistle, but here in particular.

What Paul means by "Walking" Chapter 4:1, 17, Chapter 5:2

Walking, living and dwelling, occupying, living out the truth of the cross and resurrection.

Live then in what you have been taught and learned of Christ" (Para)

HOW DO WE WALK, HOW DO WE LIVE, HOW DO WE LIVE OUT WHAT GOD HAS DONE.

There are two sides to this. What we think (Belief, Attitude) and What we do (Action, Conduct) Paul speaks of both in this passage, in some key verses.

Key Verse 1: Vs 23 "Be renewed in the Spirit of your mind"

Telling ourselves the truth is one of the themes here in this portion of the          passage. When we tell ourselves the truth, we renew our mind and we align            ourselves with the work of God

Key Verse 2: Vs 22 and 24 "Put off former conduct and put on new man"

Behaviour follows, or flows from a mind that has been transformed and aligned to the finished work of Christ.

Attitudes and Actions:

The passage therefore is concentrating on our attitudes and actions. Our beliefs and behaviour, our Our Faith and Conduct..

A, Beliefs

B, Behaviour.

The Futility of the mind and the mind of the believer.

Paul links again the behaviour of the old life with the futility of the gentile or worldly mind, that is against the things of God. Of course we need to conscious here that Paul is speaking of what God has done and how the church has to live in the truth.We cannot live in the truth if we continue to think like those who have            no heart for God.

Conclusion: of God.

God has worked out his plan from eternity for a glorious church, of which we are part. Faith in the cross and the finished work of Jesus is the centre of the t

Intimacy - Henry Nouwen

Intimacy, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, explores the following question: “How can I find a creative and fulfilling intimacy in my relationship with God and my fellow human beings?” Nouwen’s answers to this question describe the connections among friendship, romantic love, sexuality, prayer, and mental health. The book’s style is straightforward: “Each chapter is written because someone … asked a question,” Nouwen writes in the book’s introduction. “I wrote not to solve a problem or to formulate a theory but to respond to men and women who wanted to share their struggles in trying to find their vocation in this chaotic world.” Intimacy may be especially helpful for readers who serve in some ministerial capacity–the chapter on depression among seminarians, for instance, will be a cloud-clearing relief to many readers. However, Intimacy contains much helpful counsel for all Christian readers who are discovering their “seldom articulated and often unrecognized desire for a real home in this world.”

Is love a possibility within our reach?

“We probably have wondered in our many lonesome moments if there is one corner in this competitive, demanding world where it is safe to be relaxed, to expose ourselves to someone else, and to give unconditionally. It might be very small and hidden. But if this corner exists, it calls for a search through the complexities of our human relationships in order to find it.”

Writing from his vast experience as a pastoral counselor, Henri Nouwen conducts a rich and insightful exploration into the balance between intimacy and distance, the problems in trying to develop lasting and productive relationships on all levels, and the connections between intimacy and sexuality, pray, faith, and the mental well-being of the minister. Intimacy is an essential resource for anyone struggling to grasp the profound implications of this most basic human needs.

God's Squad Supporter

Saints and Sinners