Church, Why Bother? sermon 2

What a great adventure we have had in beginning this journey to build Burlington Community Church! Our second week was awesome. We had a great attendance for a church that had started only the week before. Outside of Labor Day Weekend, we have had visitors to every service. Praise the Lord for that! Keep us in your prayers and below is my sermon from Aug. 29th...

Right Relationships/Right Direction

In continuing our series on "Church, Why Bother?," it is important to understand and have the right relationships. Many get frustrated in church because the relationships built are not with direction or purpose. Friendships may be built on interests and opinions but close relationships have deeper foundations. In his book, DNA of Relationships, Gary Smalley builds his case of the importance of relationships and how interaction is vital to humanity. He simply begins by saying, "Life is relationships; the rest is just details." He points out that there is no way to avoid relationships completely and we need them! John 15 is an excellent passage for understanding the right relationships one can build.

1. A Growing and Personal relationship with Christ.

John 15 starts by showing that we are to have a relationship with Christ and His Father. He shows how he is the vine and we are the branches. We cannot do anything of spiritual significance and growth outside of this relationship with Christ. As a matter of fact, God is the one who prunes and shapes us for his glory and production. It is all a matter of glorifying God that we are drawn into the continue in our relationship with Christ. God will accomplish His work through us as we stay connected to Him and doing His Will.

A great and interesting promise in this passage is that verses 14 and 15 point out that Christ no longer calls us servants but friends. This is an incredible concept because a servant only does what he is told where a friend will know and understand everything the friend wants and asks. Very simply, we are His friend and He will show us exactly what He wills, and as his friends, we understand and are excited to be a part of it.

2. A loving relationship with each other.

It is interesting that we are commanded here to love one another. Why is that? Is it because we do not have the capacity to love another Christian? I believe it is because the closer we get to one another and the more we "experience" of each other, the easier it is to become comfortable and predictable. Just like a marriage can "cool down" in passion because of familiarity, any intimate relationship can be taken for granted. It is also much easier to criticize and condemn a person the more you know what they think, say or do. That is why our first relationship in a growing and personal one with Christ is so important. He will sort out our thoughts and help us to truly love each other because we are growing and sustaining in Him as our vine.

Loving one another is also a commitment and choice. There is no way Burlington Community Church will continue without those of us who have come together to stand up and say we are one. We will find out more about the mission and passions of our pastor and this church so we can make a difference! What kind of difference are we talking about? Here it is in our third point...

3. A compassionate relationship with the world.

At the end of John 15, we are given the sobering state of our relationship with the world. We will not be loved but persecuted. This means there is opposition to our efforts as His kingdom people. Opposition in also motivation. If there were no opposition, what a wimpy, lame cause we would have a Christians!

Now, that means our efforts are about loving and reaching the world with the Gospel. Here in Toronto, a pastor and his congregation picketed a gay man's home. The reporters asked what they were doing and why. This pastor's response was, "We have freedom in this country to preach the gospel!" I agree with the pastor's statement but his actions do NOT match his words. Picketing a gay man's home is NOT preaching the gospel. The gospel is the life, death, burial, and (very importantly) resurrection of Christ! If we are persecuted for this, we are on the right path and doing the Will of God. Cases like this pastor in Toronto leave a community and world wondering why they would bother with church.

So what is our response to the world...?

A. Be in it but not of it (Romans 12:2)
B. Do not love the world or practice its lusts and pride (1 John 2:15-17)
C. Love the world and endure its persecution (John 15:18-19)