Illuminate Community Church

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.

06/30/19 - 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 to 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.

06/23/19 - Come As You Are - 1 Corinthians 7:1-24

Some people think that coming to Jesus means you change everything about yourself. That's not accurate. Certainly the call to follow Jesus means we distance ourselves from the sin that hinders our relationship with him. Paul says that we are all former somethings. However, we are not called to change our circumstances in life. The Corinthian Christians took things to the extreme. Their ancient society was rampant with illicit sex, divorce and socioeconomic divisions. Some believed the way to become spiritual was to deny all of these and become like impoverished, celibate monks. Paul says "No, instead, come as you are." God uses us as he finds us. It's not about being married, single, rich or poor. It's not about our ethnicity, age or gender. It's not about being the janitor or the owner. We don't even own ourselves says Paul! It's about obedience to the one who purchased us with his precious blood.