Community Covenant Church - Sermons

October 1, 2006

Friendship: Long-term Support for Spiritual Growth

John 15:9-17; John 17:20-26

Morning Scriptures

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

If one falls down,
       his friend can help him up.
       But pity the man who falls
       and has no one to help him up!

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Titus 2:11-15

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

In David Benner’s excellent book, Sacred Companions, he prefaced his chapters in part with this powerful statement:

The supreme gift that anyone can give another is to help that person live life more aware of the presence of God.

David Benner, Sacred Companions: A Gift of Spiritual Friendship and Direction, IVP 2002.

Now, while that supreme gift-giving can & should be happening outside the fellowship of the church as the light of Christ’s Spirit within us “shines for all the world to see”, it is within the church, within the context of loving & gracious relationships, that this “supreme gift” is seen in its fullest measure; it’s fullest potential. For while some churches define themselves in culturally-relevant language as being “open and affirming”, I believe the church is better described as “open and transforming”. For here, among trusted friends, in an environment of unconditional love, God’s Spirit is transforming each one of us; crucifying that which is sinful and rising up that which is godly.

As the Apostle Paul described this aspect of his own spiritual transformation:

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Today on World Communion Sunday, and a day we celebrate the welcoming of new members into our family of faith, we can celebrate the truth that

In a world of increasing division, God is revealed and His salvation made known, when His children unite in His Name; unite in a common walk together; unite as friends helping one another to walk together in the way of Jesus Christ. For it is “in Jesus’ name”, that is, in living as Jesus showed us how to live, that we receive and reveal God’s salvation. This happens because:

1. In Jesus’ name we find love.

Talk about a common denominator with all of human kind: love.... that search for love, that yearning to experience being loved. In a world where “love” has been reduced to erotica, or to feelings of passion so greatly manipulated by worldly pressure; where “love” is often miss-associated with acts of violence or manipulation, it is in Jesus’ name that true love is found. Recorded in John 15 are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ:

John 15:9-17

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

The “fruit” we bear, the “fruit that will last” includes love. As Paul will remind Corinthian Christians in his first letter, what will remain in the end are faith, hope & love... but the greatest of these is love. And in that fruit of love God will accomplish His will; He will give to us whatever we ask for in Jesus’ name.... whatever is needed to redeem and transform our lives.

In Jesus’ name we will find and share true and transforming love. It is also in Jesus name that we receive and reveal God’s salvation, for

2. In Jesus’ name we find fellowship

Fellowship with one another and with God has been from the very beginning the very essence of the church’s character and power. The early church described in the Book of Acts tells of a people of one heart, sharing their material possessions and caring for all in need. They referred to themselves as communio sanctorum = “the communion of saints”. Even after the church expanded out of Jerusalem, this concept of one fellowship kept them bound together.

Today, the concept of Christian fellowship has been shrunk from true and complete support for one another to a time of coffee & cookies.

But Christian fellowship is not the half-hour after worship, or pancake breakfasts. Rather, true fellowship is about what happens during those gatherings; what happens during refreshment time, or during youth activities, or before a Bible Study begins, or after a Men’s gathering, or around a dinner table. Fellowship is about sharing needs with those you trust, humbly offering a prayer for someone, it is about scheduling a lunch date to talk confidentially, visiting someone homebound, it’s about getting up-to-date on a prayer request, or seeking a word of direction from the Holy Bible.

In Jesus’ name we find fellowship, as trusting relationships grow and we learn that we are really loved “warts-and-all”.

It is also in Jesus name that we receive and reveal God’s salvation, for

3. In Jesus’ name we also find accountability and discipline

While the goal of fellowship is usually defined around the sharing of unconditional love; a love that continually welcomes people and their brokenness into your life, when we gather in Jesus’ name we also experience the accountability and discipline we all need for change.

This is where churches in our community divide.

* Churches which focus solely upon friendship as their goal, may gather and accomplish many good works in their community and the world, but fail to help God transform their lives.

* But churches which are centered on Jesus Christ and His cross know that there was a reason for His death; they are aware of the sin that makes each one of them less human than what God had created them to be.

So it is in these Christ-centered, cross-centered church, that friendship goes beyond the superficial “open and affirming” definition, to allow God’s work of transformation to be accomplished through accountability and discipline.

Here we recognize that each and every one of us is on a spiritual journey toward completion. None of us are there yet, we’re all dealing with our “baggage” day after day. But we get to do that in this wonderful place of love. For we know, don’t we, that when we are encouraged by people who love us, to change our lives in ways defined by God’s Word; to change “in Jesus’ name”, and when we know that those loving people will wholeheartedly support that change, then that change is much more likely than if we are threatened to shape-up, or scolded for being such a sinner. Remember, the Father will give us whatever we ask for in Jesus’ name!

This is a major means by which we encounter God’s salvation, through accountability and discipline offered by loving & gracious Christian friends. We heard Paul’s words to Titus a few minutes ago:

Titus 2:11-15

These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

Do you realize that with God’s Spirit within you, you are an agent for change? For even as God’s Spirit is continually sanctifying you; cleaning you from sin and making you holy, that same Spirit seeks to work through you in your fellowship with other Christian friends to make them better as well.

And to do that we need to be engaged; we need to nurture a loving & gracious relationship and we need to share God’s word with one another.

Again, hear these words from Jesus to his followers, recorded in John 15:14-15

You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

In the book “The Silence of Adam”, Dr. Larry Crabb describes how Adam’s silence failed to support Eve as she faced Satan’s temptation to sin against God. Scripture describes Adam standing right next to Eve, but silently failing to remind her of God’s instruction not to eat the fruit from one particular tree. But juxtaposed to Adam’s silence we now have Jesus’ example; to make known to us everything revealed by His Father as our new model.... the truth that our lives are to actively encourage each other to recognize God’s presence and to obey His Word.

Christianity is not about silence and acceptance, it is about loving and gracious interaction, it is about transformation defined by God’s Word accomplished by His Spirit from one believer to another.

Finally, let me honor this World Communion Sunday by pointing out that in Jesus’ name we receive and reveal God’s salvation, for

4. In Jesus’ name we find a unity which crosses national boundaries and cultural traditions.

This in not just a pipe dream, or an unrealistic hope, it is a promise to us, for it is a prayer offered for us by Jesus himself:

John 17:20-26

20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

This unity of faith, hope and love shared by Christians around the world, was recently described by Brian McLaren is a very thought-provoking contemporary essay.

In this essay he asked the question:

What would happen if more of us saw our faith communities—churches, small groups, circles of friends, monastic communities, mission teams, whatever—as nodes in an unterror network that was constantly plotting goodness and hope?

McLaren wrote:

While terror cells plot violence to spread fear, faith cells plot goodness to spread hope. Both want change; both see status quo as unacceptable. But terror networks believe change is pushed by fear and violence; faith networks believe constructive change is pulled by hope and love, service and friendship.

Recently I heard someone describe terror networks. All nodes of the network innovate, he said, and all nodes coordinate to share their innovations. In this way all nodes influence the direction of the network as a whole, and any node can lead. They move like a flock of birds, school of fish, or swarm of bees, and they can respond to changes quickly. All nodes recruit, too, and all nodes share a common and clearly defined enemy—an enemy big enough and bad enough (in their minds) to keep them tightly unified.

He ends his essay with a challenge:

What is the real enemy we're striving against? And what is the hope we're striving for? What's preventing us from moving together like a flock of birds? What kinds of young women and men would be attracted this kind of life—as unterrorists, networked in subversion of every unjust and apathetic status quo?

Brian McLaren is founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Maryland, and a contributing editor to Leadership.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2006/cln60911.html

Imagine the power of Christians united in this world, united in the body and blood of our Lord. Imagine the revelation of God’s salvation... the glory of God Himself seen by all as faith, hope & love remain.

Perhaps it has never occurred to you, though I believe life experience and time will eventually teach us all the truth; that genuine Christian friends are different that other friends we make along life’s journey. In the words of Oswald Chambers and Eugene Peterson, found in our bulletin’s “Thought before Worship””

A friend is one who makes me do my best. –Oswald Chambers

Community ... means people who have to learn how to care for each other. - Eugene Peterson

Both these statements affirm for me a church family who both love, and hold us accountable to live life according to God’s Word; a church family which recognizes God’s Spirit working through each believing Christian to love and transform other Christian friends.

As I asked last week, I ask again, where are you allowing God to love and transform you? Where are you allowing your Christian friends to enter your life and touch you in Jesus’ name? I truly believe that most of the problems Christians seek professional counseling for, can be avoided if they took the time to meet with trusted Christian friends who offered them good advice in Jesus’ name.

In a world of increasing division, God is revealed and His salvation made known, when His children unite in Jesus’ Name.

Today let us celebrate the Christian Community;

- here at Community Covenant,

- here in Hopkinton,

- here in Massachusetts,

- here in our nation and

- all around the world.

Let us celebrate friends in Christ who make us more aware of the presence of God, as they allow His Spirit to transform us through their acts of love and grace. AMEN

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (r).