Ben Williams

GOD-BREATHED

In our brief glance at what biblical community looks like, we close by considering what the big picture of community is in light of scripture and God’s purposes. It is of great importance to regard God the Father as the author and instigator of all community that exists in its proper form in the local church. The idea of community-driven churches was not a man-made philosophy in times past nor is it a new method that young pastors are grasping onto in order for their church to appear successful.

The church in and of itself was breathed out by a holy God, created & ordained for His purposes and for His glorious will. We should not water down what it means to be in Christian community as though it is something we have discovered rather than what God originally intended for His people that He loves. He is most assuredly the author of community among believers and He desires us to get in on it. But we must understand that when community “happens” it is not because we have designed our churches well, but because He established it by His power so that He may use us for His pleasure. He is the ultimate designer of community.

CHRIST-CENTERED

Partnered with this truth is the fact that biblical community is solely Christ-centered. Why do we gather in community groups? For our own benefit or for the purpose of making much of Christ. We must be careful to not make community groups primarily about the needs of those that attend, but focused on the person of Jesus Christ and praising Him and His works among us. This will no doubt include helping and serving one another, but good deeds without Christ-centered theology as the ultimate thrust lessens the value of works to nothing.

Community without Christ is barren and fruitless and can be detrimental to the effectiveness of the church. It would do us well to be severely zealous to make Jesus the priority in our church gatherings so that we do not lose touch from the Father and begin to wander away in our own efforts to make more of ourselves. Jesus is key. He gave Himself up for the church, and there is nothing we can do to repay that great debt we owe. So when we gather, we gather in the presence of Jesus as His body, praising Him knowing that He is all that matters and that He is the real reason we commune with one another.

HOLY SPIRIT-LED

When we pray with one another, when we serve one another, when we confess our sins to one another, when we ponder God’s word together, when we sing to Him together, when we fellowship with one another, we are actively participating in the love of God the Father for the purpose of exalting the Lord Jesus. All of this is accomplished by the working of the Spirit in our hearts, minds, bodies, and our very being pouring out in worship of the one true God of heaven and earth. Even when we extended our arm in evangelism together as a biblical community of believers, we are acting as the vessels of the Holy Spirit reaching out to our neighbors and nations. When the desire is to love God above all and to make much of Jesus and make Him known among people, the Holy Spirit is the catalyst and the completion of all community within the local church, and community is only divinely functional by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Passages to Ponder:

1 Peter 2:4-5; Colossians 3:12-17; Romans 15:13

Josh Kubler

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go to Kenya to lead worship at a camp for missionary kids.  I was also asked to preach one night on a great topic for youth of all ages: penal substitutionary atonement.  Up to that point, I’d preached exactly one other time in my life.  However, I looked forward to this challenge.  In addition to the Scriptures, I used two primary books for my study on the topic.  The first was In My Place Condemned He Stood, a collection of essays on the atonement by J.I. Packer, Mark Dever, and others.  The second book was John Stott’s The Cross of Christ, a nearly 400-page treatise on Christ’s work on the cross.  These books were indispensable in my study of the cross and instrumental in my understanding of atonement.  They remain two of my favorite books to this very day.

Early last week, at the age of 90, John Stott went to be with the one he spent his life making much of.  I read tweets and blogs from various individuals reflecting on what Stott had meant to the evangelical world and the mighty way God had used him.  He was indeed an incredible man, humbly devoted to the will of the Father.

I say all of this to emphasize something I’m afraid we’re losing sight of.  Our culture is all about “keeping up with the Jones’s.”  We are preoccupied with what is now while keeping an eye out for what is coming next.  Unfortunately, our churches often reflect this as well.  We are singing the newest songs (Hillsong), listening to the hippest pastor’s podcasts (Mark Driscoll), and joining the wave of the most popular movement (social justice).  Now none of that is inherently bad (in fact, I used the examples I did because I am a fan of all of them).  However, if the latest and greatest is all we glean wisdom from, we are missing out on wisdom that God has given through saints that have come long before us.

At the other extreme are those who refuse to use any resource outside of the Scripture in their studies.  These are the same folks who believe seminary is pointless.  We hold the Bible in the highest regard and believe it has authority above anything else; however, to claim that you can’t learn anything from other individuals is awfully arrogant.  I’m thankful for seminary professors, mentors, and friends who have poured into me the things that the Lord has taught them.  If you believe that you can’t learn anything from older believers and older books, then you don’t believe that the Spirit of God has been at work in the lives of believers for over 2000 years.  Nothing is hindering you from partaking of the wealth of knowledge that’s been shared in that time span.

Next time you’re at Lifeway, instead of picking up the latest Francis Chan book, maybe you should head to the “Classics” section and check out G.K. Chesterton, Jonathan Edwards, or Charles Spurgeon.  I feel quite confident that you’ll be glad you did.

Garrett Brewer

“The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.”
Proverbs 3:35

I read this verse from Proverbs earlier last week and it kind of struck a nerve. Its funny how one sentence or one word from the Word can do that. God has brought the idea of legacy to the forefront of my mind and it has been marinating in my heart for several days now. The word legacy is a fairly loaded term. When I think of legacy I think of what a person is know for or known by, but in most dictionaries it is a word dealing with a lawful inheritance. A legacy most often refers to something one inherits from a family member or loved one. A legacy is something left behind for others to have. Have you ever given thought to the legacy that you are building with your own hands, right now? Are you building a legacy of faithfulness? Of irresponsibility? Are you building a legacy of misappropriated priorities? Of laziness? Are you building a legacy of selflessness? Of patience?  Not to be morbid, but if you were to die how would people remember you? What would that guy you know from that place say about you? How would your neighbor from around the corner remember you? Would you want your son or daughter to live a life like yours? Would your employees or employers miss having you around? The Proverbs say that the wise will “inherit glory” that is eternal and that the foolish will leave an inheritance of shamefulness and humiliation for everyone they know. Here are two things we can do to build a legacy that honors God and is worth passing on to the ones we know and love:

Be Active

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is about a man named Jonathan, the son of King Saul. In 1 Samuel, Chapter 14 we see what has to be one of the defining moments of Jonathan’s young life. If you aren’t familiar with this story, go read it. While at war with the Philistines the nation of Israel and their king lay in wait under the fruit tree. Jonathan and his armor bearer arose by themselves climbed up and down canyons and began slaughtering the enemies of the Lord by themselves. Jonathan fought the Philistines because God told him to. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t say he was tired. He saw what needed to be done and he did it. And through his obedience God brought victory to an “overmatched” Israel. To many of us are far to busy or lazy or preoccupied to live in obedience to God. I’m not saying that you need to grab a sword and go looking for the enemy. What I am saying is that walking with and for the Lord requires us to get dirty. Far too often I find myself asking God to do something in my life while I’m sitting on my hands. The Lord may want to use you to do something incredible for his glory, something worth remembering. When He calls, listen. When you hear, do it – no matter the cost. What a legacy that would be to leave: that you were obedient to God’s calling, no matter the cost. When God calls, be active.

Be Intentional

In Chapter 3 of the book of Colossians, Paul tells the church at Colossae that “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”This is a huge charge for all Christians. It gives us a very specific goal each and everyday. Too often I find myself floating throughout the day from Point A to Point B, just trying to make sure everything doesn’t fall apart and trying not to look like an idiot in the process. Let me tell you, this is not a good outlook on the day. We are not paper airplanes, wobbly and undependable – not knowing when or where we are going to land. We are supposed to be more like Patriot Missiles!  God has sent us out with a specific purpose and intent. We should see our days as opportunities and people as potential worshipers. That may cause you to go to the same gas station every time you get gas and paying inside with the intention of sharing the Gospel. This kind of outlook may cause you to help your neighbor with their lawn work, with a specific intention. This kind of outlook may cause you to get your family off the computer or TV with the intention of having some family worship time. Our life and the time we are given are too precious to squander. Be intentional.

Job Dalomba

Revision Church is officially six months old. I can’t believe how quickly time has gone by. It really does seem like a couple of weeks ago we were sitting in my apartment having discussions about what our core values and beliefs were going to be and discussing the book Vintage Church. God has blessed us so much since those days. When we were preparing and planning for a future church plant, I never envisioned the things that are happening right now. Some things have gone as expected and some haven’t. Here are a few surprises I have seen so far:

The willingness to serve

I knew when we launched Revision we would need many people who were willing to serve and give of their time and resources for the good of the church. Regardless if your church is old or new, you need people willing to invest their lives in your church. We began with about ten people who were committed to Revision and now we have roughly 45 members. What has surprised me is how nearly every member is serving and involved in some capacity. During Sunday worship services and Community Groups alone we have people setting up curtains and chairs, playing in the band, getting technology ready for the worship service, hosting Community Groups, leading Community Groups, serving and bringing food and many, many other ways. Nearly everything that happens in the life our church has church members serving and contributing.

The eagerness to learn and mature

As a member of the teaching team, I know weeks and months before everyone what the sermon texts are going to cover. I admit there have been times when I was unsure how interested people were going to be in certain subjects, especially knowing how long the sermons tend be. But as of this post, I have not had one complaint about the content or the length of the sermons. In fact, I have had better responses on the sermons I was concerned over than I have on many of the sermons I was excited about. It is a great joy and honor to share in teaching and preaching to a congregation that loves the Bible and comes to a worship service excited about the sermons. If the Bible is being faithfully taught, God’s people will flock to it and want more of it. I honestly didn’t understand this before we planted the church like I thought I did.

The acceptance and flexibility with new and different things

We knew from the beginning that our church was going to be different in a few areas than what most people were accustomed to when attending a church service. Being aware of this, I felt we would have many conversations on why we were doing some of the things the way we were. I was expecting questions and concerns about our use and style of technology, but have heard nothing but good reports and interest in our technological direction. I expected concerns over the use of the word renewal in our documents and tag line and yet the doctrine has been warmly received. I expected concerns over the length of the sermons, but have been more encouraged and confident than ever in the preaching and teaching of the Bible. I expected many uneasy feelings over taking communion each week, but have been blessed each week to watch the body of Christ respond to the preaching of the gospel through this. There aren’t many things that fill my heart with joy more than seeing people stand together and observe the Lord’s Supper. There were other things I was concerned over. But all of my fears over how flexible our people would be has been changed into deeper a conviction: that God’s people want to be in a place where they can worship Christ with others they love. When that is happening, the church ends up pretty flexible and accepting on most other things. It’s usually the ministers who get concerned over these issues, not the members.

The fellowship that has happened quickly

As we were preparing to launch our church, I had many conversations with people, read lots of books and listened to many sermons and lectures about church planting. One thing I heard over and over was to be patient as people will be slow to develop friendships and fellowship with others. I expected our Community Groups to be a little awkward at first and for people to be slow to share and speak in front of the group, but this has not been our experience. Our church has had deeper fellowship than I have ever seen or been a part of. People have been open and honest, willing to meet outside of church functions, share struggles and victories, to let someone else offer counsel and impart wisdom to them, to serve each other and many other things as well. One reason is because our members have become interdependent on each other. Those who have joined Revision have done so knowing that they need a church family. Combing this with our lack of programs and outlets for fellowship outside of worship services and Community Groups has led to people having to depend on each other for fellowship and not programs. To my surprise and delight, this has happened much quicker and to a greater degree than I expected at this point. God has been so gracious and good by allowing us to experience biblical fellowship like we have.

We are so thankful for the people that the Lord has brought us, and the love that He is building within them for His Word and for biblical relationships. We pray He continues to shape us and guide us and that every season we will see new fruit of His presence among us.

Ben Williams

The most challenging task of the local church as it stands today is retaining meaningful membership and having consistent community. With work schedules, hobbies, outside friendships, and other such responsibilities, it becomes hard labor to try to keep the church from being just a fraction of people’s lives rather than the primary outlet of their Christian life.

The toughest fact we face is that no matter how hard we strive for biblical community, not all church members will be a part of the local church community that we desperately long for. Even the most missional/community driven churches have what I call viruses that exist and will continue to exist inside the church family. These viruses are not just the unfaithful and uncommitted due to outside distractions, but these are the ones that intentionally neglect and pull away from the church. They see no spiritual benefit from having deep fellowship with others believers within the local church. Viruses can also be those that pretend to be partakers of true community but really just crave power and influence in the church seeking to create a church of their liking through deception, flattery, and slander all at the same time.

Viruses are actually a natural part of the growth of the church much like discipline and correction are a natural part of the faith. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it is a positive element in church life, but learning how to deal with conflict and “wolves” within the church will have great affect on the church’s health. Sometimes the sanctification of a church needs to go through a purging of viruses.

True community is found in the life of the local church when the church itself perseveres through tough times having to deal with people with ungodly intentions. Jesus dealt with this all throughout His ministry as he served side by side with a man named Judas. Judas by all accounts was a selfish man, but no one grasped the severity of his depravity during the years they spent ministering with him. Even perfect Jesus had betrayal at His doorstep during His public ministry. Now the bride of Christ, the church, must rely heavily on the Spirit to properly deal with viruses through the means of church discipline. A church that is faithful to church discipline is a church that is building God-centered community.

Passage to Ponder:

Matthew 18:15-17

Josh Kubler

My wife and I recently celebrated our two-year anniversary.  My grandfather, who has been married to my grandmother for over 50 years, informed me that we are still newlyweds.  You may wonder what someone so new to this possibly has to share about marriage. But after Pastor Job preached on marriage a few weeks ago during our “All of Life” series, I found myself reflecting on what the Lord has taught me over the last two years.  I claim none of this as my own wisdom, as I have none, but lean solely on what God has taught me through his Word and his ordained covenant.

1. I’m far worse than I want to admit.

I’ve never thought I was perfect, but there are certain areas of my life that I’ve felt much more conviction in since I’ve been married, particularly regarding selfishness and pride.  Ephesians 5 commands us to love our wives “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”  This act of sacrifice, the climax of redemptive history, brimming with love and humility, is to be our model.  The Holy Spirit often reminds me of this at the most inopportune times, whether I’m expecting my wife to make me dinner after she’s had just as long a day as I have or getting frustrated with the fact that I have to go out of my way to help her do something I didn’t anticipate having to do.  These instances reveal that I think I deserve something.  And I do.  It’s called hell.  And by God’s grace, he has saved me from that and given me a bride to love and serve just as he loves and serves the church.

2. Repent early and forgive quickly.

Marriage has turned me into a man of repentance.  I repented when I was single, just not as much as I do now that I’m married.  It goes hand-in-hand with my previous point.  I recognize now more than ever just how sinful I can be, and the result is continual, daily repentance, both to God and to my wife.  Whenever we have arguments or my pride and selfishness creep in, the Spirit has been quick to convict me and move me to repentance, and Katie has been gracious to forgive me.  There have been plenty of instances where I’ve done something she could have held against me, but in every instance she forgives me and we move forward.  This is only possible because of the Gospel, the message of reconciliation that eclipses all of our sin and selfishness.

3. Marriage and sanctification go hand-in-hand.

I can honestly say that I’ve grown more in my walk with Christ in the last two years than at any other point in my life.  I’ve learned more about the Gospel, love, grace, forgiveness, repentance, sacrifice, and a host of other biblical doctrines from being married than from any theology book I’ve ever read. Marriage turns orthodoxy into orthopraxy, and God uses it to further conform us to his image.  And whenever God grows us, stretches us, and molds us, it can be very difficult and even painful.  Marriage is not always roses and butterflies.  It’s hard and messy and challenging and beautiful and rewarding and glorious.  It wouldn’t be worth it if it wasn’t.

4. “Our marriage” is not ours.

Why is divorce rampant in our society?  Because it’s easier than staying together.  There are certainly exceptions, and I don’t want to be insensitive to those heartbreaking cases, but divorce is often cowardly, particularly for those who follow this line of logic: “I don’t want to be with you anymore because you don’t make me happy,” or “I’m not in love with you anymore.” There are an awful lot of personal pronouns there.  We must understand something that our culture does not: that marriage is not about our own happiness; it’s about reflecting the Gospel to a lost world for the glory of God.  Hosea did not quit.  Joseph did not quit.  And thanks be to God, Jesus did not quit.  If your joy and happiness are dependent on your spouse and the state of your marriage, then you are in trouble already.  Find your joy and happiness in Christ, and when hard times come, forge ahead in repentance, forgiveness, and love, recognizing that your marriage is not about you, but all for the glory of God.

5. The gospel is more beautiful than I ever imagined.

Above all else, my consistent failure to live up to Christ’s example offers further proof of just how incredible the Gospel truly is.  Jesus, in selfless humility, gave up his life for his bride, the church.  This truth consistently moves me to worship and surrender my marriage to him, that I may love, serve, and sacrifice for my wife, and that he may be glorified.

As I told a wide-eyed group of terrified singles at our community group a few weeks ago, Katie and I don’t have a perfect marriage, but through Jesus, we have a wonderful marriage, not because of our feelings or circumstances, but because of his unending faithfulness, steadfast love, and overwhelming grace.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

(Philippians 2:5-8 ESV)

Job Dalomba

Our Community Groups have been meeting for a couple of months now and they have been tremendous. The weeks leading up to launching Community Groups I must admit that I was nervous of how they might go. But now that we have launched the groups and are 12 weeks in, I am no longer nervous, but am excited to see how they are going. Each week I hear from members and leaders about how much they love Community Groups and how they are helping shape the lives and maturity of the members. We’ve had people tell us that the relationships they’ve gained through CGs have been unlike any other relationships they’ve ever had. People are loving on each other, praying for one another and growing in their faith like they never have before.

Praise the Lord!

But not only have we had tremendous relational growth, we have also had growth in the number of groups, number of leaders and have been able to serve people in our city. Here is just a glance of what has happened:

Since February 13th:

One new group has been started (making 3 total)

2 new group leaders (making 6 total)

We raised $1100 for needy families and Safehaven Ministry of Olive Branch

We Provided food and office supplies to help the men living at Safehaven.

Additionally, at the Old Towne Mayfest we were able to raise enough money to provide 1200 meals for orphans in South America.

God has blessed and used our church and I am very grateful.

Ben Williams

Americanized Christianity has produced a very interesting struggle in that it has brought forth a whole heap of churches that don’t particularly function as biblical churches. Now, don’t misunderstand me. There are many churches that are faithful in doctrine, discipleship, missions, prayer, conservative Bible teaching, evangelism, programs, fellowships, reaching their cities, mentoring, prioritizing the Gospel, and helping the needy. But there is still one aspect of church that gets lost in the shuffle, mainly because of the way we operate our day to day lives, and that is Community.

This term is overused and abused by many pastors, authors, churches, and ministries. It may have lost its meaning way before it became a commercial tagline for churches. So how can we know what community is since it has been a damaged word in Evangelicalism? How do we define it in its truest sense? It is almost easier to begin by defining what community is not before we tackle what community really is. And we must approach it first from a Christian perspective because it is necessary to line up Church hand in hand with community. So what is biblical community NOT?

Community is not going to church. Community is not going to church functions. Community is not participating in church ministries. Community is not being in accountability groups. It is not taking part in discipleship groups. It is not evangelizing. It isn’t becoming a member. It certainly isn’t hanging out with other believers. These are just a few activities that we attempt to define community with.

Ok, so what is community?

The only way to define biblical community is:

Being The Church – Believers of Jesus Christ coming together as an “entity” known as the local church. Becoming the very body of Christ.

This is what is known as becoming Incarnational (the church becoming Jesus in the world). Going to church is not the same as being the church. Attending and participating are not simply enough to consider oneself as a person locked into biblical community. So it is not about being IN a church or being AT a church; it is all about BEING the church. Becoming unified as one with believers – one body, one Lord, one Baptism, one mission. ONE.

Passage to Ponder:

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 “What this Entity Looks Like”

Over the next few weeks, we will break down what it means to BE the church. Next week: Churches Struggle With Viruses

Ben Williams

When we approach the issue of prayer, we must understand that we are commanded to pray in any and all types of circumstances. However, we often pray as a subconscious attempt to appease God and/or others as a religious activity. This is why it is vitally important to continually develop a theology of prayer that is centered around a desperation for God’s intervention.

…depend solely upon Him…

Jesus earnestly desires for His bride to desire Him in return. He wants our full attention and devotion. More so He wants us to depend solely upon Him for our every thought and action. This entails an understanding that everything that we possess is certainly a gift from God and can be taken away at any moment. We are to be a people that cry out in desperation knowing that Jesus holds everything in His hands and gives purpose to all things. As natural born sinners, we are in a desperate state at all times, and though we are believers living in the secure hope of eternal life, we are only capable of any good that is worked out by the Holy Spirit that lives within us. For this filling of the Holy Spirit, we must be diligent to empty ourselves and ask for God to supply – both of these require the prayers of a desperate dependent.

…were it not for grace…

Communication with God almighty is not to be taken lightly though our emotions surrounding prayer can vary from situation to situation. That being said, no matter what our emotions are, grace should be the primary request from our God. In light of what Jesus wants from us, it is wise to build a prayer life focused on our inability to operate in a godly manner without God initiating and fulfilling our actions. This is grace. God’s intervention and favor bestowed upon His children and creation is what we must be desperate for. Prayer itself is an access given by the grace of God to impart the grace of God for the glory of God. Were it not for grace, we could not pray and have God hear our prayers. Were it not for the ability to pray, we could not understand and see the grace of God work in and through us.

Josh Kubler

I can’t tell you how many times I heard this. This questions, and its numerous variations, were all too common when we presented the plan for starting Revision Church in Olive Branch, a growing city in booming Desoto County. The only problem is that Olive Branch is in Mississippi, which was named the “Most Religious State in America” in a 2009 Gallup poll. 85% of respondents said “yes” when asked “Is religion an important part of your daily life?”

So why would we ever need more churches in such a “religious” area. The answer is actually quite simple: religion and salvation are not synonymous. According to new research by the Intercultural Institute for Contextual Ministry, approximately 70% of the state of Mississippi is unreached. The IICM explains that “The ‘unreached status’ refers to an estimate of the number of households…that do not consider themselves to be an evangelical Christian. An evangelical Christian is a person who professes to have accepted Jesus Christ as his or her personal Lord and Savior.”

While 85% of Mississippians may say that religion is an important part of their daily life, only 30% profess Christ as Lord and Savior. While this will undoubtedly surprise a lot of people, I found it lined up pretty consistently with what we’d gathered about Olive Branch. In our preparation to plant Revision, we discovered that last year(2010) on Easter Sunday, in regards to attendance the most “generous” day of the year for churches, there were a total of 8,000 people present at all Olive Branch churches. That comes out to around 26% of the population of over 33,000. Some of the volunteers who helped us canvas before our launch asked those whose doors they knocked on if they attended church anywhere. 80% of them said no.

That’s why we needed to plant in Olive Branch. And one church plant isn’t going to reach all of those people. In the last ten years, 60,000 people have moved into Desoto County. In those ten years, we planted four new churches in the county. I’m thankful for those churches, but we need to recognize that even if we planted 100 churches, they would have to run 600 people apiece in order to reach everyone who moved into the county. That doesn’t even count the 100,000 people who already lived there.

My prayer is that Revision Church will be on the forefront of a church planting movement across the state of Mississippi and the Mid-South, exemplified by churches that hold the gospel above all else, recognize the supremacy of the Scriptures, and celebrate regenerate church membership, churches that are intent on spreading the gospel in Word and deed. I’m thankful to be part of the ONE8 Network, which champions these same values in an effort to reach Mississippi and the Mid-South through a gospel-centered church planting network. These are exciting times, and I encourage you to pray for our established churches and new church plants in Mississippi as we work together to bring the good news to the unreached.