Illuminate Community Church

09/08/19 - Order In The Church - 1 Corinthians 14:25-15:5

Last week I ordered a table from Amazon. When it arrived I opened the box, dug out the assembly instructions and got to work. Four legs attached to the top with metal crossbars. Super easy, right? An hour later I was losing my religion. Out of frustration I went to Amazon's reviews and discovered that every part of the instructions were completely wrong. Here's a quote from a guy who said he got drunk after figuring out the right way to do it…"Whoever wrote these instructions has never seen this $*&% table." Rules and order are important things. If you can imagine a highway without any limits, signs, or pavement markings then you get the idea of what worship was like in the Corinthian church. It was chaotic and out of control. Christians gone wild and abusing spiritual gifts. Both men and women were in need of correction. So Paul gives it. He does so in the most meaningful way by reminding them there are roles and order within the Godhead. Additionally, Paul tells us that spiritual gifts are not the most important thing; the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. In order for the Gospel to come to you Jesus had to play his role and he was faithful. So then, none of us has any excuse to ignore our roles.

09/01/19 - Confusion Over Tongues - 1 Corinthians 14:1-25

God is not a God of confusion, but of peace says Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. The Corinthian Christians were very confused and this proved they had something to learn about the practice of their faith. These early believers had a false belief that some gifts made you more spiritual than others and at the top of their list was tongues. They were wrong. Paul brings clarity by making a contrast between the gift of tongues and the gift of prophecy. Which is superior? According to Paul it is prophecy, unless tongues is interpreted. Why? Because it all goes back to the purpose of the gifts. They are for the common good; the edification of the church (1 Cor. 12:7). The main problem with the gift of tongues is that it was not being used in a way that built up the church. 

What we learn from chapter 14 is that the Spirit of God is on display when we serve one another with what God has given each of us. I have a homework assignment for you. Will you affirm the people who bring their gifts and blessings into your life? Begin to look outwardly and express gratitude for those who serve you. I’ll let you in on a little secret. The more you make your life about you the more miserable you will become. You will use and manipulate and become hypercritical and angry and you’ll be looking at others as a means to your happiness and that never ends well. This is what made the Corinthian church sick. Instead, let's look for ways to affirm and bless those around us.

I read this week that the vast majority of people who own running shoes don’t run. I think this is a good analogy for the church. We’ve all been given running shoes (spiritual gifts) to run the race God has for us. We run it together helping each other cross the finish line. So if you’ve been coming around for awhile and you’ve not been involved can I encourage you to lace up your shoes and be part of the amazing work God is doing at Illuminate?

08/25/19 - Love Is And Is Not - 1 Corinthians 13 - Aligned

I've officiated many weddings over the last 25 years and without a doubt the most commonly quoted Scripture is 1 Corinthians 13. Famously known as, "The Love Chapter." We think of Paul's eloquent description as the ideal relationship full of patience, gentleness, believing the best with endless romance. The blueprint for the husband or wife of our dreams. But here's the thing - it's not about romantic love at all. In fact, if you were the intended audience when it was written, you would feel sharply corrected. The Corinthian church was Paul's problem child. These early believers were dysfunctional, immature, selfish, stubborn and proud. They took the good things God gave them and used those things to create chaos. They even abused spiritual gifts by dividing them into "greater" and "lesser."  Chapter 12 ends with these words, “And I will show you a still more excellent way” (1Cor 12:31). From here, Paul begins his famous description of love—a gift greater than the ability to prophesy, fathom spiritual mysteries, and speak in other tongues. According to Jesus, the greatest command is to love God and love others as ourselves. It's the way the world will know we are his disciples. All that we are and all that we do is within the sphere of love. Love is the salve that heals relationships. Love is the defining attribute of a Christian. As always, the motivation comes from Jesus himself. We love because he first loved us!

08/18/19 - We Need Each Other - 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

When people hear the phrase, "the body of Christ" some think it refers to the literal body of Jesus like the one he had while on the earth. The term actually refers to the members of his church throughout history. Therefore every Christian is a part of the body of Christ. Just like a human body, the body of Christ is made up of many different parts but all are meant to function together in unity. Limbs, when left alone are useless but when they come together there is movement and purpose. The ultimate purpose of every Christian is to glorify God. Imagine the power that comes from a church that functions as a whole unit with every body part in its place. Sadly, the Corinthian Christians were a bunch of separated limbs. I'm not sure where it was first told, but the story below sums it up well...

A carpenter’s tools were having a conference. Brother Hammer was presiding, but the others informed him that he’d have to leave because he was too noisy. "All right," he said, "I’ll go, but Brother Plane must withdraw too. There’s no depth to his work. It’s always on the surface." Brother Plane responded, "Well, Brother Rule will also have to go too. He’s constantly measuring people as if he were the only one who’s right." Brother Rule then complained about Brother Sandpaper, saying, "He’s rougher than he ought to be. He’s very abrasive and he's always rubbing people the wrong way." Brother Sandpaper was annoyed by Brother Saw, claiming that he had a very sharp and cutting personality. Brother Saw leveled his criticism at Brother Level, saying that he always tends to blame others for being crooked and unbalanced. Brother Level had a major problem with Brother Hand Drill, accusing him of coming along and sticking his long penetrating nose into other people's business. And wouldn't you know it, Brother Hand Drill was really bothered by Brother Clamp because Brother Clamp always seemed so uptight and never seemed relaxed. 

In the midst of this bitter discussion, the Carpenter of Nazareth walked in. He spoke sternly to all the tools, rebuked them, and told them to hold their peace. He shared with them that everyone of them had a purpose and that they were uniquely made to fulfill that purpose. He told them that everyone of them was important and had a special job to do. The Carpenter told them that He needed every one of them in order to do His work. He then went to His workbench to make a pulpit from which to preach the gospel. He used the hammer, the plane, the rule, the sandpaper, the saw, the level, the hand drill and the clamp. Not one tool was untouched or unused. After the pulpit was finished, Brother Rule arose and said, "I see now that all of us are laborers together with God."

There's no such thing as an unemployed Christian in the church. We all have something to contribute and we all need each other to accomplish the work God has for us!

08/11/19 - Vision Sunday

Perhaps you've heard Proverbs 28:19 (from the King James version) quoted in Christian leadership circles, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." This has become an inspiration in the church growth movement and widely used to support the importance of painting a compelling portrait of church direction. However, the verse refers to a literal vision from God. The kind of vision that Old Testament prophets received. The ones that come in the night through dreams or spoken audibly by God Himself. This is the full verse from the English Standard version, "Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law." Quoting the entire verse reveals a lot. Where there is no prophetic vision, or word from God, then the people do not have direction. The law is prophetic vision and when it is kept there is blessing. In other words, apart from God's Word we have no direction. This Sunday is Vision Sunday. It's a time for us to celebrate what God has done and what we trust he will continue to do through Illuminate. But we must never forget that God has already given us the vision for what we do, who we are and what we are to become. God continues his faithfulness to us and it's good for us to push the pause button and reflect on where we've been and what's ahead. I am very excited to share the plans to expand God's Kingdom and as always, the best part is that we get to do it together!

08/04/19 - Spiritual Gifts Part 1 - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

I have a confession to make…when I was younger, I mistakenly took pride in the "lone wolf" mentality. I thought I didn't need anyone. I was the one who helped others and could take care of myself. I was strong and ready for anything. Vulnerability meant weakness. I was wrong. Since then, I have learned to share my needs and receive care. God knew this all along. In fact, he created you and I to lean on one another. Not only did he create us for this, but he actually gifted us for it. Paul reminds us that every Christian has been given a special gift. Kind of like a spiritual gift fingerprint unique to you. These gifts are unique for another reason. They are to be shared. It's when we share our Spirit empowered gifts that we create a community unlike any other. The bottom line is that every Christian is in ministry through the church. No one is merely a consumer of services; everyone is a disseminator. The Corinthian Christians were a fractured group because they consumed and didn't give back. They refused to share their lives together in service. So let's learn from their mistake and employ our gifts for the common good!

07/28/19 - Common Unity - 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

It's been said that opposites attract. It's true for the north and south poles of magnets and It often feels true in relationships. While opposite personalities may be drawn to each other, it's what you have in common that keeps you together. The word community means "common unity." Christians celebrate the Lord's Supper which is also called communion. Christian communion is a sharing of deeply held thoughts, ideas and feelings about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So here we stand my brothers and sisters; side by side, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. We look to the past and remember who we were and what we were before meeting Christ. We were lost sinners in need of a savior. We look to the present and examine ourselves. We acknowledge our sins and confess them to God and receive forgiveness. We look to the future knowing that Jesus will return and usher in a final supper when all will be made right. Our common unity in Jesus Christ binds us together. It compels us to express genuine love for each other. This is the way we build community.

07/21/19 - Meat Market Freedom - 1 Corinthians 10:15-33

“A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none.

 A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant, subject to all.”

–Martin Luther
 

Christian freedom is one of the hottest spiritual topics today. To folks accustomed to legalistic Christianity and the sets of rules that many would say must guide Christian conduct, Christian freedom is a strange animal. Because of what He did on the cross, we have been freed from sin, guilt, shame, and legalism with all of its lists of do’s and don’ts. The gospel was not designed to “keep us in our place” spiritually, but to liberate us to live joyfully and enjoy all we are and have in Christ…“For freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1)

 

But Christian freedom doesn’t mean we’re free to sin or compromise. Nor does it mean that we the right to do whatever we want. This Sunday, the Apostle Paul helps us see that there is something more important to our freedom in Christ than doing as we please. And it has a lot to do with Luther’s second phrase…

07/14/19 - American Idols - 1 Corinthians 10:1-14

Saint Augustine said, "The essence of sin is loving anything more than God." In my opinion, this is one of the most profound and insightful statements ever made by a human. We often think of sin as those things that are dirty and ugly and really, really bad. Augustine gives us a different perspective. He tells us that we make idols out of good things when we make them ultimate things. This is a disordered love. Money, power, career, spouses, children, social causes - all good things but we must be careful to keep them in their proper order of love. When our love of career exceeds the love of family we have a disordered love. When our love for family exceeds our love for God we have a disordered love. 

The Corinthians had every gift, they lacked nothing. They were richly blessed by God. You know what happened? They turned the blessings of God into their own self-confidence. They took credit for what God provided. How do you know if you've turned something into an idol? Ask yourself this: Would I think life is no longer worth living if I didn't have it? Idols are functional saviors attempting to replace the real Savior Jesus Christ. They will always lets us down, Jesus never will.

07/07/19 - What Should A Christian Do? - 1 Corinthians 8

Sometimes it's easy to forget that we Christians live in a broader context than our church community. We live in the world. We are called to be missionaries and ambassadors (good will representatives of some other place - heaven). The Corinthian Christians were asking this question - What is permissible for a Christian and what is not? We often think this way too. We want to know where the lines are so we can step right up to them and yet not feel the guilt of crossing over. Paul changes our perspective. Instead he wants us to think like this: In what ways are we too behave so that we can maximize our evangelistic influence? Paul gives a few timeless principles. What is safe for one Christian may not be for another; true discernment always requires love as well as knowledge; and believers have no right to demand certain freedoms if they in turn prove detrimental to those around them. The mature Christian will ask, "What do those around me need from me right now?" This is love.