Community Matters!

Challenging quote from The Connecting Church, by Randy Frazee:

Community matters. That's about like saying that oxygen matters. As our lungs need air, so our souls require what only community provides. We were designed by our Trinitarian God (who himself is a group of three persons in profound relationship with each other) to live in relationship. Without it, we die. It's that simple. Without community where we know, explore, discover, and touch one another, we experience isolation and despair that drive us in wrong directions, that corrupt our efforts to live meaningfully and love well.

The future of the church depends on whether it develops true community. We can get by for a while on size, skilled communication, and programs to meet every need, but unless we sense we blong to each other, with masks off, the vibrant church of today will become the powerless church of tomorrow. Stale, irrelevant, a place of pretense where sufferers suffer alone, where pressure generates conformity rather than the Spirit creating life -- that's where the church is headed unless it focuses on community.

What does "Community" mean?

The Bridge COMMUNITY Church.

OK, so we all know what a "church" is. And we've unpacked the concept of a "bridge" as a metaphor for the Gospel. So, let's take a closer look at what "community" means...

First, The Bridge Church is a community of faith. When it's working as it should, the Church is better than the tightest family, the closest friendship, the strongest partnership. Is it just having common values? Is it just enjoying fellowship together? Is it just uniting around a common goal? In some way, it's all of these...but more. The Church is not just a club, or social gathering-- it is a group of people who share a sense of LIFE PURPOSE, which inherently, cannot be accomplished alone.

In other words, we need each other (corporately) to accomplish what God intended for us to do (individually). As believers in Jesus Christ, MY life's purpose and YOUR life's purpose are the same: to share the message of the Gospel with as many as possible. So, since we share the same purpose, live in the same town, attend the same church...we ought to be working together to accomplish this God-given mandate.

But let's go one step further.

How can we "work together" if we aren't "living together?" (...and no, I'm not suggesting we all sell our homes and move to our 73 acres in Hutto...although, that might be really fun!) Acts 2:42-26 offers a vivid description of both the means and the end of biblical community:

The "MEANS" was pretty straightforward:

• They devoted themselves to apostles' teaching
• and fellowship
• and breaking of bread (this is both potluck dinners and Lord's Supper)
• and prayer
• many wonders and miracles were done
• they were together and have everything in common
• they had garage sales and gave the money to the poor
• they met in temple courts AND in homes

The "END" was also obvious: "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

This is COMMUNITY. A group that's living life together...so we can work together...to share the love of Jesus Christ in a tangible way with as many as possible.

So, here's the real question: What would that look like at The Bridge Church?

What's in a Name?

It's a simple name: "Bridge Community Church."

But when you think about each word individually, our name says a lot about who we are, and what God has called us to do.

Let's begin with the last word first: CHURCH. We are a church. That's a no brainer, right? Other descriptions might be: a church family, a local church body, a congregation, or a fellowship of believers. Whatever it's called, I think we all get the idea...

Next, the first word in our name: BRIDGE. Let's take a little time with this one. Perhaps you've seen an illustration of something like this: Imagine a great chasm (like the Grand Canyon) between Holy GOD and Fallen MAN. This great divide is caused by SIN, and the only thing that connects the two sides is the CROSS. Jesus is the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). In a sense, through the cross, Jesus “bridged the gap,” making a way for man to come to God, or be reconciled to Him (2 Corinthians 5).

Simply put, our church wants to "bridge the gap" between God and the world He loves, by sharing the love of Jesus Christ in a tangible way. We do this through servanthood, acts of kindness, compassion, outreach, etc.

Notice the urgency in this quote from The Church of Irrestible Influence, by Robert Lewis:

As the church engages in a third millennium, it looks across a terrifying, and ever-widening, chasm between itself and the world it is trying to reach. Six out of ten Americans believe the church is irrelevant. As it stares across that chasm, much of the church no longer believes it can influence the world. The question is simple: What impact is the church having on the community?

And another one:

Without its own bridges to the world, church life—in time—fades into isolation, self-congratulation, and finally, irrelevance.

Ouch! With God's help, we must guard our purpose with diligence. We cannot afford to turn inward, and neglect the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. We must "build a bridge" to a lost and hurting world, both around the world...and around the corner.

That brings us to the middle word in our name: COMMUNITY.

I'll discuss that more in the next blog posting...

EMPTY -- New Series in April

EMPTY: Living a Life of True Abundance

If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (1 Corinthians 15:14)

This past Sunday was Easter. For those who may not know, Easter Sunday to a pastor is like Super Bowl Sunday to an NFL quarterback. (...not that I am the Peyton Manning of preachers or anything! I digress...) Simply put, this is the biggest day of the year for churches. Big attendance. Lots of new faces. Pastel-colored dresses. White shoes making their springtime debut. Pictures in bluebonnets after church. Lunch with Grandma. It's quite the celebration...

And along with the excitement comes the annual question of what to preach. The basics are obvious: the Messiah riding through Jerusalem on a donkey. The last supper. The betrayal and arrest in Gethsemane. The ridiculous trial. The mockery, beating, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus. All hope is lost. End of story. Right?

(Insert Carman's 80's classic here, "It may seem like Friday night, but Sunday's on the way!")

So then what? On the morning of third day, some of Jesus' followers go to anoint his body with spices, but make an inbelievable discovery: his tomb is EMPTY! An angel is standing there, instead, and tells them that Jesus is risen. In amazement, they run to tell the others. Over the next 40 days, Jesus makes multiple appearances in both public and private settings. He talks with some. He eats with others. He even lets them touch his hands and side. He does all of this for one very specific purpose: to prove He was ALIVE!

So, back to the pastor's challenge. How do you tell this timeless story in a "fresh" way? How can you hope to "out-do" last year's Easter celebration? You may only get some of these listeners once a year, so you'd better make it a good one! Right? Wrong. This year, I just didn't want to "hype" the Resurrection.

Not because I don't think it's important. Quite the contrary. In fact, I am convinced that the Resurrection is the most significant event in human history. But I just wanted to keep it simple this year: Jesus' birth was unique. His life was extraordinary. His death was necessary. But it's his Resurrection that closed the deal. He is ALIVE! He is risen! His tomb is EMPTY!

And because of this truth, the enemy is defeated, my sin is forgiven, my hope is secure, and my life has meaning. I guess you could put it this way:

Because the tomb is EMPTY, my life is FULL. (John 10:10)

Thank you Jesus!

Thanks for the Kindle

On Sunday, I was totally surprised by a gift at the end of the worship service: a Kindle from Amazon.com. To be honest, I had heard of them, but had never really seen, held, or salivated over one...yet. But as many of you know, I love to read, so I was thrilled to find out that this one device can hold 1,500 complete books! And it came with one book already loaded, "The Prodigal God," by Timothy Keller. Now, only 1,499 more to go...

(Plus...it will read the books aloud to me while I'm driving, which keeps my hands free for driving, eating, and talking on cell phone. Just joking, Mom.)

Anyway, thanks to all of you for gift, as well as the kind words of encouragement. Michele and I are so blessed to have the privilege of serving at The Bridge. We love our church family, and we are excited about the days ahead.

God is good!

I'm back!

It's been a while since my last post. Yes, for all of you who are worried about my well-being, I am fine. There is no shortage of things to write about...but there seems to always be a shortage of time. (which is a myth, by the way...)

The truth is: we all make time for what is important to us. Right?

Sometimes I wonder whether or not anyone ever reads these posts. I start rationalizing that my life is busy enough already, without the added pressure of my self-imposed creative writing assignment deadlines. Besides, wouldn't the time be better spent working on Sunday's sermon, or reading a new book, or mowing the yard, or watching the American League Baseball Playoffs? Why exert all that mental energy composing thought-provoking insights for an imaginary audience? What's the use?

And then, something interesting happened. I bumped into a friend at HEB, and they asked why I hadn't updated the blog in a while. (Hmmm...) Then, I asked a new family at our church how they found out about us, and their answer surprised me. They came across our church website, and subsequently my blog, and were intrigued enough to visit. (Wow.) Not to mention there are a few of you who constantly encourage me to keep writing--no matter what, just keep writing. (You know who you are.)

Gradually, I came to realize three things about my blogging:

1. The discipline of writing is its own reward. I want to always keep thinking, learning, and growing...so why not write about it while I'm on the journey?

2. God can touch lives (through this blog), even when I never know about it.

3. The blog can be utilized more effectively to communicate vision to our church family. For example, we are having an outreach event on October 30th (www.fallfunfestival.org), and I want to encourage you to be praying for God's will to be accomplished on that night. We are going to demonstrate the love of Christ to our community in a tangible way...and it will be an awesome night.

Anyway, I'll keep writing, and you keep reading. And if something touches your heart, challenges your beliefs, inspires you to grow, or just makes you laugh...let me hear from you.

Is that a deal? God bless you.