Family Here and There
Brian here. I’ve been thinking about worshipping alongside the TOAG conference attendees this weekend. In summary, it was great. (That’s it. You don’t have to read more of the post, right?)
But why was it great?
The Holy Spirit united us as a body of believers with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. It goes beyond just singing songs.
Another aspect of God’s active involvement this morning is how a huge chunk of the congregation is so passionate about Jesus that they are willing to give their whole life for Him. Singing With Everything this morning took on a fuller definition. Everything – as in, like, everything.
It’s not a passion for emotion’s sake; it’s passion inseparable from biblical truth. On Friday, Carl Medearis talked about the parables of Jesus and challenged people to consider why they love Jesus. This morning he talked about Luke 4:16-30 and 2 Kings 6. The crowd in the synagogue in Luke 4 is really fickle. “Wow! Such authority. We speak well of you. Wait a minute! Wrath! Wrath!” (My summary, not Carl’s.) You tell a story in Israel about God blessing a Syrian guy and a Lebanese guy and some people will get mad. Not much has changed over the centuries.
And have you thought about what it means to love your enemies? Sure, it’s simple to say, but could we do that as foreign policy? Could you have tea with Hezbollah?
So how is this different than the other Sunday mornings out of the year? Answer: it’s not, really. Yes, we had a ton of people from different parts of the country in our congregation this morning, but I would be willing to bet that not everyone who regularly attends FCOV was born in Chandler, Arizona. We also have a number of religious traditions show up each week, much like this morning.
I think the passion was more noticeable to me this weekend for two reasons:
- Most people are not in TOAG because it’s just a part of their weekly routine.
- We’re familiar with each other.
If you’re going to church simply because that’s what you’ve always done, I hope that God is sparking a reviving fire in your heart. I hope that I can come by your side and encourage you towards life.
By being familiar with each other, we can sometimes let interpersonal issues distract us from admiring God’s handiwork in His masterpieces around us. Who are we to give an art critique on what God has created? He makes even my best efforts look like cracked macaroni glued to construction paper. (No offense to the Macaroni School of Art.)
Here’s the beauty of it, though. Our familiarity should give us the freedom to take risks with God, to trust that Jesus knows what He’s talking about when He says that we are all a part of the same vine and that true life comes from abiding in Him. We take risks with God’s people. We don’t have comfort for comfort’s sake. We have life to live for Jesus and His Church.
We’re in it for the long haul with the regular attenders. Much like any relationship worth maintaining over an extended period of time, it takes work. It takes faith, hope, and love.
Encourage each other towards loving enemies. And remember: we’re called to the same hope.
Rejoice in being connected to believers around the world. You are a part of the most powerful kingdom ever to set foot on Earth (or anywhere else) and the kingdom is ruled by the most righteous king ever. Now we know in part; then we will know fully, even as we are fully known.
Rejoice in being connected to believers locally. You need them to fulfill God’s design for His people.
Rejoice in being a part of God’s family here and there.