If today’s blog is different, its because it is. These are my notes from today’s gathering.
(On a personal note, I was really encouraged and challenged by this message. To study, I try to read our focal text ahead of the sunday sermon, then, I prepare a pseudo-sermon of my own. This text isn’t necessarily difficult, but it is long, thirty-two verse, and I was really happy to see that some of my thoughts on the text were similar to where my pastor landed as well.)
A sermon series from http://www.myvillagechurch.com
Radical, Multi-Racial, & Diverse, is an a expression of the gospel, and the kingdom centered around it. We don’t want to be “color blind”, and completely ignore our differences, we want to take into account who people are. Ask instead, what would racial diversity, and ideological diversity, look like before the fall? What does this, unity in diversity, look like apart from our sin & brokenness? Simply put, for us today, what does unity and cooperation look like apart from the fall?
What we see in this text is that picture. Diverse people coming together for something greater than themselves. A mere glimpse of God’s hope and eventual plan for his creation. This is a peek at what the coming, and reigning kingdom will look like.
Herein, we get to see it, and God would ask us to join it.
Context
A long time ago God made everything perfect, Adam and eve messed it up, and it all went bad. God gives a promise through a man named Abraham, it passes to Moses who gives us the law, then to David who builds the nation, then to Solomon who builds the temple, then the rise of the prophets. The prophets speak while the kingdom is divided, conquered, and scattered away from their home over the course of hundreds of years. Eventually the people are allowed to return home and rebuild the temple and the city.
We see everyone, except for one group who thought they were too important, get involved and get to work inspite of race, class, or trade. It wasn’t that they just used their gifts, but they were given a plan beyond themselves, and they even did things that they were not particularly skilled in.
What do we see in this glimpse of the kingdom?
There is always noncompliance. If you are ever reading a list in the bible and one thing is different from the list, then that thing deserves special attention. And we see one group refuse to stoop to serve the Lord. The question is why wouldnt these guys serve? And in that question it is revealed to us a picture of why we refuse to serve. Plainly and simply, pride, they saw themselves higher than they ought to. There are hundreds of scriptures that bash this idea, and posture in the face, and point to Jesus as our hope of salvation when we refuse to cooperate. So why dont we cooperate.
A. Rebellion, or we just dont want to. And B. Ignorance, that we are just unaware that our lives are always on mission, and always an act of worship.
The difference in these things is knowing grace. Increase the grace and knowledge of Jesus the son of God and renewal will take place. You’ll see yourself add you truly are. Not above anyone, certainly not above Jesus, and even Jesus came and served. So when we refuse to serve, we are also saying that we consider ourselves better than the son of God.
Unity in diversity creates stability. Our diversity is the greatest gift we have as the church. Don’t make the error of thinking that your preferred way is the only acceptable way to do things. Knowing grace lets you accept people, and their, ideas, that are radically different than yourself. If you can’t see the other side of your position, then plead for grace. “If you want to make a Christian angry, put him around someone who sins differently than he does.” -Darrin Patrick
All of this is a glimpse of the greater renewal. It’s important to remember that the picture of leadership, unity, and cooperation that we see in Nehemiah is not a perfect picture, but just a glimpse of God’s renewed kingdom. All of this secured in the person and the work of Jesus Christ, who is the king of the new kingdom. Through him, and the grace he shows us, we can be completely unified, and radically diverse. God shows us these glimpses of his kingdom not so we can sit back and observe, but so that we may stand up and join.
Reflection questions
How can I join the MISSION OF RENEWAL in the ordinary?
How can I cooperate with others to join the MISSION OF RENEWAL, even in inconvenience?
What do I cling to that gets in the way of cooperation towards renewal?
How does Jesus undo the root of my selfishness?
Theist the Bearded 