Sojos Church 2007-8

SojoS Church 2007-8

We are Sojourners, passing through this world.  Because the age we live in is so transitory, God has given us a design for community that corresponds to such changes.  In Christ we are part of a family that does not break up, and we are seeking a city that cannot be shaken.  On that journey we are called to assemble ourselves together with the family members around us.  June 2007 saw the scattering of a number of family members who have been part of our local assembly.  Since July, we have been forming up a fresh group.  Some remain from before, others are being added from other church assemblies or as new members in the family through repentance and baptism.  We have patiently wandered in this transition for a couple of months, and now we are ready to set up our tents for a season.

This Sunday we will present a vision for the church and a fresh invitation for membership.  Russell will continue to be an elder and has invited Dan Scott to share in that responsibility.  As elders we are to be responsible to ensure that we have a church assembly that honors Christ as the chief overseer (elder / shepherd).  We are responsible to live out the faith and to lead others in living out the faith.  Of great importance is living out the faith through the exercising of your gifts and experiences in Christ.  We are to do our best to see that you are growing in your character and the use of that character in service as part of the Kingdom of royal priests. 

Now that I have slipped into the language of Zion, let me translate: Dan and I will be in charge of making sure we have a group of people who are actually building on the wisdom of Jesus.  We are all supposed to be getting better at learning and living that wisdom in ways that are similar, but also unique.  God has made each of us to serve him and others and the church is the group of people who help us all do that.

Why Dan and Russell?  Simply put, we have direct experience in elder functions and we sense that God has lead our families together to serve in that way for now.

Next message:  What does it take to be a member

Sojos Memebership

What does it take to be a member of a local assembly of Jesus followers (like SojoS)?  Repentance, baptism and a life of choosing wisely in humility. 

Repentance:

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17)

Jesus went about saying to repent.  The Greek expression is to really change your mind.  What are we to change our minds about?  The Kingdom of God is at hand!  Do you believe that God's Kingdom is here and now and that Jesus is the King?  If so, have you put your allegiance and trust in him?  As Paul says:

But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:8-9)

Jesus believed that God's Kingdom was where our allegiance should be.  He did not need to RE-pent (change from wrong thinking to right) but he still needed to be baptized.  John the Baptist was shocked because everyone he baptized was turning from wrong thinking and action toward right faith and behavior.  But the point of baptism that we share with Jesus is the second half; the moving toward.  Jesus said,

But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. (Matthew 3:15)

We are immersed into our active allegiance to Jesus as Lord in Baptism.  If we have had other allegiances, we renounce our loyalty to them and declare our trust to solely rest in Jesus as the Captain of our Salvation, our King.  It is how we join the counter-revolution to see the creator overcome fallen creation with new creation; in us and then through us.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4)

What is that newness of life?  A series of choices.  We declare our allegiance (trust, faith, confidence, loyalty) to Jesus as King (Lord, Kurios) and we are expected to live accordingly.  That requires growing up.  We do that as individuals, but not alone.  We are individual members of a family and we grow together.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

So, if you have declared your faith in Jesus as Lord and demonstrated it in baptism and growing in his ways, you can choose to join with us.  We are specifically aiming to help young adults (teens) grown in their faith.  Though it is not a requirement to be a teen or connected to a teen, we must be clear that our focus is on teens and we might not meet the needs or expectations as well as another church assembly might.  By choosing to join you are expected to come to our gatherings with the question: "How can I grow through helping others grow?"  You should be diligent not only in your attendance, but also in your preparation and in your participation. 

Prayerfully consider whether you should be a member of SoJoS Church 2007/8!

Shalom,

Russell Minick

Dukkha? Rejoice!

"Life is DUKKHA" said the Buddha. It was his starting point for dealing with life. What is Dukkha? Sickness, financial problems, old age, death. Dukkha is the grinding weariness of knowing another hardship, tragedy or disappointment is just around the next corner. So what is Buddha's solution? Detach. If you don't care about the world around you in any attached sense, then tragedy won't sink you. Eventually you will have nothing in common with this world of Dukkha-ness and will float beyond…

Jesus said to love God and to love people, including ourselves. The problem is, however, that we often feel let down by God and people, including ourselves. How should we respond? Paul says, cheer up!. Actually, what he says is "rejoice!" How is that any more hopeful than what the Buddha said?

First, rejoice, you aren't crazy. Everyone has Chronic Dukkha Syndrome. Suffering just won't leave us alone. It is not just you, it is life in this present age. Second, not only are you not unique in suffering, you are not alone. God calls hurting people to love him and others. How can he do that "from way up… wherever he is"? The good news is that God is has not been giving advice from "out there". God in Christ has come and not only experienced the Dukkha of life, Jesus has in fact borne its full weight and risen in victory. You are not called to love just any God, you are called to love the God who has joined you in hardship, and more importantly, has overcome hardship. Rejoice! Dukkha does not win. In Christ we do not suffer without hope. We suffer as we pass through a temporary world while declaring and displaying a new creation, a world where Dukkha will not find a place.

Philippians is a letter from a guy who started a church through suffering (Acts 16). Paul went on from that episode of suffering to a string of other dramatic and traumatic episodes. In his letter Paul passes on his confidence "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6) Paul's prayer for people learning to live the life in Christ is that they get good at loving wisely. When they do, they will be able to respond to hardship like he does: "Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me." (Philippians 2:17-18)

As we study the letter of Philippians together, let's look for the wisdom and power to be people who overcome hardship with joyful confidence. Though we may be tempted to give up hope and become cynical and just find ways to cope, there is a better way. We can get better at loving wisely and living successfully as a result. Let us pray the prayer Paul prayed for those he loved. Let us pray for each other this way:

"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

(Philippians 1:9-11)

(Sunday worship will have a brief retelling of the founding of the church in Philippi (Acts 16) and then we will study Chapter 1 verses 1-11. Memorizing 1:6 and 1:9-11 would really help in understanding and applying Philippians to our lives)

Hebrews 13

We all know the two things in life according to Jesus = Love God / Love people

But really, what does it mean to love people?  

Let brotherly love continue. (2) Do not neglect to show hospitality to

strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (3) Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (4) Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. (5) Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (6) So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (7) Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews make the argument that following Christ further forward is the best way even when we get tired, scared or distracted and don't want to.  If we stop to consider Jesus, we should move forward in our faith in him.  Essentially, we follow his example.  That should affect how we relate to people around us.  So here are some areas of advice from the preacher: 

• be hospitable - actually take people in when they come to you, receive them
  
• be considerate - actually reach out to those who could use some support
  
• be appropriate - love is not random; there are right and wrong ways to express it
  
• be grounded - acting in love requires a reliable foundation; God, not personal gain
  
• be teachable - others are good at love and should be followed; none more than Jesus himself
  

Hospitable - (13:2) How you treat a guest expresses their value.  Abe did not know who his guest were, so he gave them the best.  The essence of the admonition is to give people the benefit of the doubt and receive them as if they ought to be well received. Whether they are exceptional, like Abe's guests, or ordinary, like most of our guests, consider Jesus' warning in Matthew 25-

I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no

drink, (43) I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did

not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' (44)

Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty

or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' (45)

Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it

to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' (46) And these will

go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal

life."   Matthew 25:42-46

Practically, we are to receive people with genuine generosity of spirit. From the heart, choose to think well of people. This is not being naïve, it is being hopeful. Our hope is that people are created in God's image and that God is good. Even fallen man is called to be redeemed and renewed, so we should receive with faith. Our faith is in action when we speak to, give to, respond to other people with genuine belief that all is potentially redeemable by God. For cynics, like my historic tendency, struggle with this. Consider Jesus, and then try again.

Considerate – Reacting lovingly to people who come to you is hard enough. Now the preacher says we need to be proactive. Specifically, he challenges people to seek out others in need. The historical reasons were practical; they really had brothers in prison that needed help. Also, the readers were afraid of following Jesus, partly out of fear that they would end up in prison. Well, all the more reason to have a community that deals with that problem!

We too, whether we know imprisoned people or not, do have a calling to intentionally reach out to people who could use some love. The motivation should be pure and simple: God is overcoming evil with good, I am following God as my Lord, and therefore I seek to overcome evil with good. So, if people are not able to reach out because they are held back, by their own wrongdoing or the wrongdoing of others, we should see them as worth our energy, worth our love. After all, we are connected with them. Particularly if they are brothers who are in bondage, but even if they aren't, we are seeking to make a growing community of redeemed people committed to the grace of God as the hope for humanity and all of creation.

Appropriate – so how do we show love to others? The most dramatic form of love is romantic (polite way of saying sexual) love. Certain cults capitalize on the craving to experience love by sanctioning 'free love' (and they mean sex). The unbound acceptance is, well, seductive in one sense, disturbing in another. The disturbing part is the awareness that romantic love is not first and foremost physical. It is first about covenant belonging, deep connection. God has made that connection special by limiting it to one man with one woman for one mutual life. Two problems are mentioned:

πόρνος por'-nos From πέρνημι

pernēmi (to sell; akin to the base of G4097); a (male) prostitute (as venal), that is, (by analogy) a debauchee (libertine): - fornicator, whoremonger.

The first is just sex for sex sake. The issue is not marriage, it is misuse of the body (and the would be unnoticed misuse of the soul).

That is the problem with porn (and where the name comes from!). The idea is that soulless use of the body for sexual pleasure works, but only for the body, and at the expense of the soul. The heart rate accelerates with pornos (via internet, movies, or actually with someone in person), and there is the tantalizing hope of the soul being satisfied too. But that is the tragic failure of sex out of bounds. It is not that it is shocking, as if God were naïve, it is that it is ignorant. Pornos fails to understand complete satisfaction and keeps thinking if it just varies the techniques or partners, it will work better next time.

The other problem is adultery. Once a covenant of marriage is sealed, and romantic love (sexual) has its place, it assumes lifelong security. These warnings should be given before marriage. "Hey young people, choose wisely. Make sure as you can that you and the one you are going to marry really have the maturity to make a covenant that lasts for better or for worse. Not all faithful marriages are great, but all truly great marriages are faithful!! (I know this could be debated, but I would enter such a debate with strong confidence )

Grounded – When you are grounded in God's love for you, you are not as vulnerable to the fear of rejection or lost advantage. Simply put, we often love for selfish reasons. People who can help us are easier to love than people who can't. People who can make you rich? Lovely…

Be free to love without being subject to people's ability to give or take away things you value. The only real way to do this is to love what cannot be taken away: God and that which is hidden in God.

Teachable – How do I do this? Find people who are doing it relatively well and learn from them. Some of the best teachers live on in their writings. Other teachers are right around you. Surprisingly, you should count yourself as a teacher, and if not yet, grow up so you can teach others. How do we teach and learn from teachers? Pay attention to the 'why's and 'how's of human relationships. Watch for people who are good at loving through their hospitality, consideration, appropriateness and groundedness.

And remember, Jesus is the standard, and the standard doesn't change.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

reshaping

In June Sojos went back to sojourning. 3 families moved and most of the rest of us launched out on one challenge/adventure or another.

Sunday July 8 we had church at the Minicks with Audrey, Rachel and Cresta. It was good to be back together. We started Ephesians. I will try and give summaries as we go. Our hope is to go through the letter fairly quickly and then to start a new church focus in early September.

Hebrews 13:1-7 Love People?

We all know the two things in life according to Jesus = Love God / Love people

But really, what does it mean to love people?

Let brotherly love continue. (2) Do not neglect to show hospitality to
strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (3) Remember those
who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated,
since you also are in the body. (4) Let marriage be held in honor among all, and
let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and
adulterous. (5) Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what
you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (6) So we
can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to
me?" (7) Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:1-8

Hebrews make the argument that following Christ further forward is the best way even when we get tired, scared or distracted and don't want to. If we stop to consider Jesus, we should move forward in our faith in him. Essentially, we follow his example. That should affect how we relate to people around us. So here are some areas of advice from the preacher:

be hospitable - actually take people in when they come to you, receive them
be considerate - actually reach out to those who could use some support
be appropriate - love is not random; there are right and wrong ways to express it
be grounded - acting in love requires a reliable foundation; God, not personal gain
be teachable - others are good at love and should be followed; none more than Jesus himself

Hospitable - (13:2) How you treat a guest expresses their value. Abe did not know who his guest were, so he gave them the best. The essence of the admonition is to give people the benefit of the doubt and receive them as if they ought to be well received. Whether they are exceptional, like Abe’s guests, or ordinary, like most of our guests, consider Jesus' warning in Matthew 25-

I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
(43) I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe
me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' (44) Then they also will
answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or
naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' (45) Then he will
answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the
least of these, you did not do it to me.' (46) And these will go away into
eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew
25:42-46

Practically, we are to receive people with genuine generosity of spirit. From the heart, choose to think well of people. This is not being naïve, it is being hopeful. Our hope is that people are created in God’s image and that God is good. Even fallen man is called to be redeemed and renewed, so we should receive with faith. Our faith is in action when we speak to, give to, respond to other people with genuine belief that all is potentially redeemable by God. For cynics, like my historic tendency, struggle with this. Consider Jesus, and then try again.

Considerate – Reacting lovingly to people who come to you is hard enough. Now the preacher says we need to be proactive. Specifically, he challenges people to seek out others in need. The historical reasons were practical; they really had brothers in prison that needed help. Also, the readers were afraid of following Jesus, partly out of fear that they would end up in prison. Well, all the more reason to have a community that deals with that problem!
We too, whether we know imprisoned people or not, do have a calling to intentionally reach out to people who could use some love. The motivation should be pure and simple: God is overcoming evil with good, I am following God as my Lord, and therefore I seek to overcome evil with good. So, if people are not able to reach out because they are held back, by their own wrongdoing or the wrongdoing of others, we should see them as worth our energy, worth our love. After all, we are connected with them. Particularly if they are brothers who are in bondage, but even if they aren’t, we are seeking to make a growing community of redeemed people committed to the grace of God as the hope for humanity and all of creation.
Appropriate – so how do we show love to others? The most dramatic form of love is romantic (polite way of saying sexual) love. Certain cults capitalize on the craving to experience love by sanctioning ‘free love’ (and they mean sex). The unbound acceptance is, well, seductive in one sense, disturbing in another. The disturbing part is the awareness that romantic love is not first and foremost physical. It is first about covenant belonging, deep connection. God has made that connection special by limiting it to one man with one woman for one mutual life. Two problems are mentioned:


The first is just sex for sex sake. The issue is not marriage, it is misuse of the body (and the would be unnoticed misuse of the soul). That is the problem with porn (and where the name comes from!).

πόρνος por'-nos From πέρνημι pernēmi (to sell; akin to the base of G4097); a (male) prostitute (as venal), that is, (by analogy) a debauchee (libertine): - fornicator, whoremonger.

The idea is that soulless use of the body for sexual pleasure works, but only for the body, and at the expense of the soul. The heart rate accelerates with pornos (via internet, movies, or actually with someone in person), and there is the tantalizing hope of the soul being satisfied too. But that is the tragic failure of sex out of bounds. It is not that it is shocking, as if God were naïve, it is that it is ignorant. Pornos fails to understand complete satisfaction and keeps thinking if it just varies the techniques or partners, it will work better next time.

The other problem is adultery. Once a covenant of marriage is sealed, and romantic love (sexual) has its place, it assumes lifelong security. These warnings should be given before marriage. “Hey young people, choose wisely. Make sure as you can that you and the one you are going to marry really have the maturity to make a covenant that lasts for better or for worse. Not all faithful marriages are great, but all truly great marriages are faithful!! (I know this could be debated, but I would enter such a debate with strong confidence J)

Grounded – When you are grounded in God’s love for you, you are not as vulnerable to the fear of rejection or lost advantage. Simply put, we often love for selfish reasons. People who can help us are easier to love than people who can’t. People who can make you rich? Lovely…
Be free to love without being subject to people’s ability to give or take away things you value. The only real way to do this is to love what cannot be taken away: God and that which is hidden in God.

Teachable – How do I do this? Find people who are doing it relatively well and learn from them. Some of the best teachers live on in their writings. Other teachers are right around you. Surprisingly, you should count yourself as a teacher, and if not yet, grow up so you can teach others. How do we teach and learn from teachers? Pay attention to the ‘why’s and ‘how’s of human relationships. Watch for people who are good at loving through their hospitality, consideration, appropriateness and groundedness.
And remember, Jesus is the standard, and the standard doesn’t change.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8