THE PULPIT: growing in grace by the power of the spirit
The last couple of weeks, we have been looking at the great why question. We believe the why question is answered for us in four words: bow, share, grow, give. The first week we saw that the purpose of the Church is to worship God. Worship is the defining characteristic that makes us more than another ministry group. We are the church because we gather together to worship God. In finding the purpose of the church’s existence, we also found the meaning of human existence.
We found that worship has God alone as the content, follows the structure of gathering together, revelation, response and sending out in mission. Worship is done in a willing posture of submission, bowing our lives at the feet of the Father.
Worship calls us into ministry. If worship is our purpose, then outreach is our mission. We are called into the world to proclaim, “This is God’s year to act in your life.” We are to be the means by which Christ preaches good news to the poor, release to the captives, and freedom to the oppressed. Our outreach must seek to meet the needs of the bodies and souls of our neighbors. In meeting their needs, we are sharing salvation from the cross of the Son.
When we put together the first two weeks we find ourselves: bowing our lives at the feet of the Father; sharing salvation from the cross of the Son. Say those two phrases with me: bowing our lives at the feet of the Father; sharing salvation from the cross of the Son.
This morning we will be again be turning to the early church as an example of our church. Hear the Word of the Lord from Acts chapter 2.
READ ACTS 2:41-47
Growing up in the church, I remember a time when people actually came to church on Sunday just for the Sunday School. People would come for class and then either linger while discussing some aspect of life or lesson so long that they were late for worship or even missed it completely. Some would even come and then leave after Sunday School ignoring worship all together. I remember when Sunday School was the place to be! Sadly, over the last decade, it seems that Sunday School has almost become a footnote in many congregations, and I have often wondered why.
As I have observed churches, I have found the issue is not really about Sunday School, but about discipleship. The question is how well we disciple one another. Our tradition teaches us there is more to our faith than a one-time decision. We must go on from salvation to sanctification, and yet we must never settle for where we are because where we are is never where we need to be. Christianity is not about a destination, but it is about the journey. We must always be growing in grace by the power of the Spirit. Discipleship is our ministry to one another making sure that we are all growing in grace by the power of the Spirit. Say that phrase with me three times – again, the phrase is: growing in grace by the power of the Spirit. Together now, three times: growing in grace by the power of the Spirit. Growing in grace by the power of the Spirit. Growing in grace by the power of the Spirit.
This morning’s text is from the second chapter of Luke’s gospel. Luke 2:41-52. Stand with me for the reading of God’s Word. Luke 2:41. Hear the Word of the Lord: READ LUKE 2:41-52.
“And Jesus grew up, not only in body, but also in wisdom, and in God, and in others.” I am always reminded of my Caravan days when I hear this verse. We had the four different colored candles that stood for the four ways Jesus grew: mentally, physically, spiritually and socially. He grew up as a healthy and whole person.
As I reflect on the dilemma of Sunday School, I am convinced the failure of Sunday Schools is directly related to the limiting of discipleship to a mental learning of information. Students come in sit at their table and learn the lesson. Then they go home and come back again next week for more information.
However, there is another side to the Sunday School coin. Many discipleship programs thrive. I believe they thrive precisely because they are not about in-formation, but rather about life-formation. Successful discipleship encompasses the whole person. In an effort to make discipleship life-formational, successful discipleship looks beyond the peripheral questions like when and where, to the heart of the matter: why, who, and how.
Why? Why is discipleship important? Why is life-formation important? We have established worship as the purpose of the Church, and outreach as the mission of the church. Where then does discipleship fit into the puzzle? Discipleship is our training. Any group can have a purpose. Imagine if the volunteer fire department existed for a purpose: that purpose is to protect the lives and properties of the people of Toronto from devastation and loss due to fire. That purpose is perfectly admirable, but what if there were never any fires? They exist with a purpose, but that really doesn’t do anyone any good does it?
Now imagine they have a purpose and there are fires. Now not only do they have a purpose, but they have a mission. Not only do they have both, but also their purpose calls them into their mission. They cannot exist for their purpose of protecting from fires without having the mission of fighting and preventing fires. We see then purpose and mission working together. Now imagine if your house was on fire and they responded to their call to mission and they did it with the admirable purpose of saving you from loss, but they had no idea what to do when they arrived because they had no training. What good are a great purpose and a brave mission, if no one is equipped to be a firefighter?
I’ve been around our public servants enough to know that training is not a one-time thing. You are not certified and that’s it. Training is continual. Good training also includes discipline, accountability and debriefing. It helps prepare us, but it also helps us deal with the stress of doing the mission. Purpose, mission and training must work together if any are to be of value. The writer of Hebrews tells us tells of drawing near to God and to one another that we may be prepared, that we spur each other toward love and good deeds, that we might encourage one another, that we might endure. This is why we must be disciples: to be prepared, to spur one another on toward love and good deeds, to encourage one another, to endure.
Who? Who is discipleship for? Who should be involved in discipleship? I mentioned remembering a time when Sunday School was more highly attended than worship. Today it seems quite the opposite. People come for worship and then go home. There should not be a disparity between those who attend worship and those who enter into discipleship. They work together and all who call themselves worshipper should also call themselves disciples.
As we return to the story of the early church, we find that Christian life – discipleship – is for all who believe. The story begins with 3,000 who are the fruit of mission. They find their life’s purpose in worshipping God and enter into Christian living, or a life of discipleship. The great commission teaches us to make disciples of all nations, and that those who join the church through worship should be taught to obey all Christ has taught – to enter a life of discipleship. Additionally, the reading from Hebrews encourages us to all be in the habit of meeting together regularly for discipleship. The writer goes so far as to call out those who fail to meet together regularly! Discipleship is the expectation for all whose lives are lived in worship to God, just as all whose lives are lived in worship to God have the mission of outreach.
How? How are we discipled? How do we grow into healthy, well-rounded Christians? If the Christian life can be summed up in the idea of serving, then worship is serving God; outreaching is serving our neighbor: the poor, the oppressed, the captive; and discipleship is serving our brothers and sisters in Christ. In worship, we submit our lives to God; in outreach, we submit our lives to our neighbors; and in discipleship, we submit our lives to one another. Discipleship is all about growing in grace.
Growth in grace only happens by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we survey the landscape of Biblical writings and Christian history we find a number of roles the Holy Spirit plays: breathe, conceiver of life, empowerer, guide, intercessor, equipper, convictor, comforter, refiner, sanctifier. These things are all related directly to growth. By the spirit we have the breathe of God that gives us life. We have the power to grow and live as disciples. We are guided through a life of growth. We are prayed for as we grow. We are equipped for a life of growth. We are convicted and held accountable when we stray. We are comforted in our grief. We are refined, purified and sanctified. Discipleship is growing in grace by the power of the Spirit.
We also see that we do not live a Christian life alone. A life of discipleship is only possible in a life of community or fellowship. Even God exists in the community and fellowship of the Holy Trinity. Christ, when he lived among us, surrounded himself with a community of believers. Discipleship only happens when it is a Spirit led community of believers.
A Spirit led community is not bound by time or place. It is a way of life. It is a way of living that produces healthy, well-rounded, whole and holy disciples. Sunday School, I believe, fails when it becomes a class instead of a community. In a class, there is one teacher and many learners. In a community, all are teachers and all are learners. None of us has arrived. Our teens have sweatshirts that say, “please be patient with me, God is not finished with me yet.” Perhaps they are wise beyond their years. Who of us is God finished with? Who of us does not have something yet to learn? Who of us does not have something to offer to a brother or a sister? There are not teachers and students but only disciples.
In a class, there is a beginning and an end. A community never ends. It may grow – it may change, but it never ends. I am a son and a brother. I don’t get together with my parents or brother nearly as often as I should. I don’t see them as often as I’d like. Sometimes we go months without seeing each other. Sometimes it seems like forever between our times together, but they know no matter what, if any of them needs me, I will be there. In a community, we do not start and stop being the community when the bell rings, but rather there are no bells, and we never stop being community. We are always there. We always live for one another. Community has no end.
In a class, the focus is on learning. In a community, the focus is on living. We’ve all been in school. We all sit through lessons and lectures. However, community is not about sitting, but rather about active participation. It is about walking together through life. Sometimes that means we have lessons to learn. It is vitally important that we have a solid understanding of our faith and our scripture. It is equally important, however, that in community there are times when we have to put our minds aside. There are times when we must be the role of guide, or convictor, or comforter, or intercessor.
We all need to be a part of a community of disciples, who know us most intimately, that can call us onto the carpet when we are veering off course. We all need people in our life to encourage us when we are depressed. We all need people in our life to comfort us when we mourn. That we can confess to when we fail, that can pray for us when we just can’t pray any more, that will provide for us when food and money run out. We all need a community where we can laugh and play and have fun together. Discipleship is about life…all of it. Jesus grew not only physically but also in wisdom and in favor with God and with others. If we are to produce healthy disciples then we must create communities, led by the Holy Spirit, where we can follow Christ in being whole and in being holy, and where we can find soil fertile for growing in grace by the power of the Spirit, to the glory of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
We found that worship has God alone as the content, follows the structure of gathering together, revelation, response and sending out in mission. Worship is done in a willing posture of submission, bowing our lives at the feet of the Father.
Worship calls us into ministry. If worship is our purpose, then outreach is our mission. We are called into the world to proclaim, “This is God’s year to act in your life.” We are to be the means by which Christ preaches good news to the poor, release to the captives, and freedom to the oppressed. Our outreach must seek to meet the needs of the bodies and souls of our neighbors. In meeting their needs, we are sharing salvation from the cross of the Son.
When we put together the first two weeks we find ourselves: bowing our lives at the feet of the Father; sharing salvation from the cross of the Son. Say those two phrases with me: bowing our lives at the feet of the Father; sharing salvation from the cross of the Son.
This morning we will be again be turning to the early church as an example of our church. Hear the Word of the Lord from Acts chapter 2.
READ ACTS 2:41-47
Growing up in the church, I remember a time when people actually came to church on Sunday just for the Sunday School. People would come for class and then either linger while discussing some aspect of life or lesson so long that they were late for worship or even missed it completely. Some would even come and then leave after Sunday School ignoring worship all together. I remember when Sunday School was the place to be! Sadly, over the last decade, it seems that Sunday School has almost become a footnote in many congregations, and I have often wondered why.
As I have observed churches, I have found the issue is not really about Sunday School, but about discipleship. The question is how well we disciple one another. Our tradition teaches us there is more to our faith than a one-time decision. We must go on from salvation to sanctification, and yet we must never settle for where we are because where we are is never where we need to be. Christianity is not about a destination, but it is about the journey. We must always be growing in grace by the power of the Spirit. Discipleship is our ministry to one another making sure that we are all growing in grace by the power of the Spirit. Say that phrase with me three times – again, the phrase is: growing in grace by the power of the Spirit. Together now, three times: growing in grace by the power of the Spirit. Growing in grace by the power of the Spirit. Growing in grace by the power of the Spirit.
This morning’s text is from the second chapter of Luke’s gospel. Luke 2:41-52. Stand with me for the reading of God’s Word. Luke 2:41. Hear the Word of the Lord: READ LUKE 2:41-52.
“And Jesus grew up, not only in body, but also in wisdom, and in God, and in others.” I am always reminded of my Caravan days when I hear this verse. We had the four different colored candles that stood for the four ways Jesus grew: mentally, physically, spiritually and socially. He grew up as a healthy and whole person.
As I reflect on the dilemma of Sunday School, I am convinced the failure of Sunday Schools is directly related to the limiting of discipleship to a mental learning of information. Students come in sit at their table and learn the lesson. Then they go home and come back again next week for more information.
However, there is another side to the Sunday School coin. Many discipleship programs thrive. I believe they thrive precisely because they are not about in-formation, but rather about life-formation. Successful discipleship encompasses the whole person. In an effort to make discipleship life-formational, successful discipleship looks beyond the peripheral questions like when and where, to the heart of the matter: why, who, and how.
Why? Why is discipleship important? Why is life-formation important? We have established worship as the purpose of the Church, and outreach as the mission of the church. Where then does discipleship fit into the puzzle? Discipleship is our training. Any group can have a purpose. Imagine if the volunteer fire department existed for a purpose: that purpose is to protect the lives and properties of the people of Toronto from devastation and loss due to fire. That purpose is perfectly admirable, but what if there were never any fires? They exist with a purpose, but that really doesn’t do anyone any good does it?
Now imagine they have a purpose and there are fires. Now not only do they have a purpose, but they have a mission. Not only do they have both, but also their purpose calls them into their mission. They cannot exist for their purpose of protecting from fires without having the mission of fighting and preventing fires. We see then purpose and mission working together. Now imagine if your house was on fire and they responded to their call to mission and they did it with the admirable purpose of saving you from loss, but they had no idea what to do when they arrived because they had no training. What good are a great purpose and a brave mission, if no one is equipped to be a firefighter?
I’ve been around our public servants enough to know that training is not a one-time thing. You are not certified and that’s it. Training is continual. Good training also includes discipline, accountability and debriefing. It helps prepare us, but it also helps us deal with the stress of doing the mission. Purpose, mission and training must work together if any are to be of value. The writer of Hebrews tells us tells of drawing near to God and to one another that we may be prepared, that we spur each other toward love and good deeds, that we might encourage one another, that we might endure. This is why we must be disciples: to be prepared, to spur one another on toward love and good deeds, to encourage one another, to endure.
Who? Who is discipleship for? Who should be involved in discipleship? I mentioned remembering a time when Sunday School was more highly attended than worship. Today it seems quite the opposite. People come for worship and then go home. There should not be a disparity between those who attend worship and those who enter into discipleship. They work together and all who call themselves worshipper should also call themselves disciples.
As we return to the story of the early church, we find that Christian life – discipleship – is for all who believe. The story begins with 3,000 who are the fruit of mission. They find their life’s purpose in worshipping God and enter into Christian living, or a life of discipleship. The great commission teaches us to make disciples of all nations, and that those who join the church through worship should be taught to obey all Christ has taught – to enter a life of discipleship. Additionally, the reading from Hebrews encourages us to all be in the habit of meeting together regularly for discipleship. The writer goes so far as to call out those who fail to meet together regularly! Discipleship is the expectation for all whose lives are lived in worship to God, just as all whose lives are lived in worship to God have the mission of outreach.
How? How are we discipled? How do we grow into healthy, well-rounded Christians? If the Christian life can be summed up in the idea of serving, then worship is serving God; outreaching is serving our neighbor: the poor, the oppressed, the captive; and discipleship is serving our brothers and sisters in Christ. In worship, we submit our lives to God; in outreach, we submit our lives to our neighbors; and in discipleship, we submit our lives to one another. Discipleship is all about growing in grace.
Growth in grace only happens by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we survey the landscape of Biblical writings and Christian history we find a number of roles the Holy Spirit plays: breathe, conceiver of life, empowerer, guide, intercessor, equipper, convictor, comforter, refiner, sanctifier. These things are all related directly to growth. By the spirit we have the breathe of God that gives us life. We have the power to grow and live as disciples. We are guided through a life of growth. We are prayed for as we grow. We are equipped for a life of growth. We are convicted and held accountable when we stray. We are comforted in our grief. We are refined, purified and sanctified. Discipleship is growing in grace by the power of the Spirit.
We also see that we do not live a Christian life alone. A life of discipleship is only possible in a life of community or fellowship. Even God exists in the community and fellowship of the Holy Trinity. Christ, when he lived among us, surrounded himself with a community of believers. Discipleship only happens when it is a Spirit led community of believers.
A Spirit led community is not bound by time or place. It is a way of life. It is a way of living that produces healthy, well-rounded, whole and holy disciples. Sunday School, I believe, fails when it becomes a class instead of a community. In a class, there is one teacher and many learners. In a community, all are teachers and all are learners. None of us has arrived. Our teens have sweatshirts that say, “please be patient with me, God is not finished with me yet.” Perhaps they are wise beyond their years. Who of us is God finished with? Who of us does not have something yet to learn? Who of us does not have something to offer to a brother or a sister? There are not teachers and students but only disciples.
In a class, there is a beginning and an end. A community never ends. It may grow – it may change, but it never ends. I am a son and a brother. I don’t get together with my parents or brother nearly as often as I should. I don’t see them as often as I’d like. Sometimes we go months without seeing each other. Sometimes it seems like forever between our times together, but they know no matter what, if any of them needs me, I will be there. In a community, we do not start and stop being the community when the bell rings, but rather there are no bells, and we never stop being community. We are always there. We always live for one another. Community has no end.
In a class, the focus is on learning. In a community, the focus is on living. We’ve all been in school. We all sit through lessons and lectures. However, community is not about sitting, but rather about active participation. It is about walking together through life. Sometimes that means we have lessons to learn. It is vitally important that we have a solid understanding of our faith and our scripture. It is equally important, however, that in community there are times when we have to put our minds aside. There are times when we must be the role of guide, or convictor, or comforter, or intercessor.
We all need to be a part of a community of disciples, who know us most intimately, that can call us onto the carpet when we are veering off course. We all need people in our life to encourage us when we are depressed. We all need people in our life to comfort us when we mourn. That we can confess to when we fail, that can pray for us when we just can’t pray any more, that will provide for us when food and money run out. We all need a community where we can laugh and play and have fun together. Discipleship is about life…all of it. Jesus grew not only physically but also in wisdom and in favor with God and with others. If we are to produce healthy disciples then we must create communities, led by the Holy Spirit, where we can follow Christ in being whole and in being holy, and where we can find soil fertile for growing in grace by the power of the Spirit, to the glory of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
posted by EF + at 9:24 AM
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