Church 03/08/2026

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

This prayer is from St Francis, with just a little change or two.

Come Lord, join us here today
Lord, make us instruments of your peace:
where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in our giving that we receive,
it is in our pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in our dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory 1 Timothy 3:14-16

Intro: This morning, we’re going to explore a crucial question:

What are we doing here, for heaven’s sake?
– answers are scattered through the New Testament,
• and it’s the focus of Paul’s entire first letter to Timothy
• he intended to go over this in person
◦ but here he provides only a summary statement

Paul explains how we “ought to behave”

“Ought” is not one of my favorite words
– Christian preachers, youth leaders, and Sunday School teachers have used it to control and manipulate adults and children
• so let’s try to get to the heart of Paul’s concern
• Francis Schaeffer, wrote an excellent essay entitled, “The Mark of the Christian”
◦ for centuries Christians displayed their faith with different symbols
◦ “uniforms,” cross necklaces, and annoying bumper stickers
Schaeffer, “But there is a much better sign–a mark that is to last through all the ages of the church till Jesus comes back.”
He was referring to what Jesus had said to his disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13:34-35)
Schaeffer, “Notice that what he says here is not a description . . . . It is a command which includes a condition. . . . An if is involved.”
– the “if” tells us that it is our love that communicates to others that we belong to Jesus
• that’s the only authentic sign of a follower of Jesus
◦ Paul is training Timothy in practical ways to show love among Christians in the church
◦ in the next chapter, he will tell Timothy,
“set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12)
• so coming back to what a church “ought” to look like,
◦ love is the gold standard for our behavior

The Greek word translated “behave” is interesting
– its root meant to twist, then turn and later to steer
– we can imagine the twists and turns of our interactions with each other
• in this instance, our “behavior” is relational

Paul refers to the Christian church with a variety of metaphors
– it is God’s temple, the body of Jesus, and here, a house
• he then clarifies, “which is the church of the living God”
◦ “church” translates the Greek ekklesia – an assembly, to which people were called to attend
◦ another factor is koinonia – to share or have in common, a communion, a community
• his other metaphor, a pillar and buttress of the truth
◦ that’s a tough one – too often churches stray from truth, usually from an over-emphasis on one doctrine
◦ even as churches often fail to display God’s love for the world through Jesus

Paul concludes this brief message with a poem, possibly a song
– its title is, “The Mystery of Godliness”
– few years ago, Rick Founds wrote a song that has been sung around world
• it encapsulates the coming, death, and resurrection of Jesus
• the song that Paul quotes is similar in that way
◦ it contains a richness of theology proclaimed in poetic verse

Before Reflexion met for the first time, I got to thinking

Who were we, and what were we about?
– I thought it was necessary to hammer out a vision for us
• so I went to work on a Venn Diagram
◦ I inserted the goals and values that moved me
• but before I went very far with that, I felt a restraint
◦ it seemed that God’s Spirit was telling me, “Don’t do that”
◦ instead, we were to start meeting and then discover the shape God stamped on our group and our meetings
– but I also had concerns of my own
• first of all, I did not want to be in charge of another church
◦ I feel like “church” is a tired, broken word
◦ people usually think of a building when they hear the word church; and their reaction is cold not warm
• churches tend to alienate people who aren’t core members
◦ one way they do this is with “doctrinal statements”
▫ you’re handed one as soon as you walk in the door
◦ these tend to create barriers rather than bridges
▫ it’s like having a fence–tells you whether you’re in the group or out of it
▫ and many times, our doctrinal statements make little sense to the non-believer
• so I opted for “spiritual community”
◦ that is, to me, the New Testament meaning of church
• at any rate, the church is not an institution or business
◦ it’s a living, breathing organism
◦ people bound together by their devotion to Jesus

I also knew that I did not want the title of “pastor”
– that has come to mean “professional clergy”
• someone who performs services and provides ritual
• there are lots of people who carry the title of pastor,
◦ and many of them are nothing like a shepherd or care giver
◦ some are like religious celebrities – the star of the show
▫ they create a following through charisma and self-promotion
◦ others are like managers
▫ their skills lie in areas of organization and control
▫ but no one can manage someone else’s spiritual journey or the moving of God’s Spirit
– I want to be here for you in the ways that you need me
• but my desire is to journey with you
◦ I’m not the guy sitting on the top of a mountain,
◦ who utters wise sayings to people willing to make the climb
• I’m on the road with you, saying,
“Hey, what do you think about taking this path?”
or, “How about we camp here for awhile?”

Maybe eight years ago I reviewed our current status and trajectory

I do that on occasion, automatically
– sometimes I veer from the path God laid out for us
• I think we need Bible studies, when what we really need is:
◦ encouragement, edification, direction, support, and grace
• so I do is self-check

What are some of the features of our community?

I’m convinced that if we’re to experience genuine spiritual growth,
freedom is a necessity we cannot compromise
– every person needs to be heard with a nonjudgmental response
• we can open our hearts without being shamed or clubbed with the Bible
• you can relax, be yourself; you “belong,” you’re accepted
– we are seeking a better knowledge of God, of ourselves, of each other
– our life with Jesus is a spiritual journey (modeled in Hebrews 11)
• we travel together, even if not at the same pace
(for years, our vision has been revealed in the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus)
• we are developing a greater awareness of God’s presence
◦ a deeper confidence that “all shall be well”
– we practice the spiritual exercises we have learn from scripture
• to wait on the Lord
• to seek him
• to watch for him
• to rest in him,
• to draw near in prayerful mediation and contemplation
• to be still
◦ this is why we begin our meetings in silence
– we strive for an ever deeper devotion to our Lord Jesus
– we are definitely, still in the lab! We have not “arrived”
• there’s room to fail, because without at least trying, there’s no room to succeed

Conclusion: Before leaving you, I want to lighten the mood a bit

This is a conversation I had one dreary morning:

Lord God?
Yes?
I’m down. I don’t know . . .
That’s okay.
Okay for me to be down?
Yes.
Why? It leaves me with so little energy, unnecessary negativity, and I really become useless.
It is okay, because I can use you rain or shine, up or down, strong or weak. I can use your downness.
But how?! You know where it takes me.
I can use even your downness. You brought it to Me, now will you give it to Me? Consecrate it to Me?
Yes, Father, as best I can. Use my down mood to the full extent of Your pleasure and power.
I will.
I won’t do this perfectly.
Lord . . . ?
Peace! I know, My child, I know.
[sigh] I’m feeling less down.
Of course. [smile]