We Are the Body
I love the Book of Romans and I'm really excited to get to Chapter 5, but we're going to put Romans on pause for Christmas. In fact, we'll be looking at the Messiah through the Psalms this year. So invite those friends who always hear the same text on the one or two Sundays they actually come to church. This one may be something they've not heard before.
This week we're having a celebration and enjoying some good food. (And by all means, please invite a friend to join us for dinner.) On November 30th however, we'll be discussing what it is to be the church. More specifically, we'll examine the local church, the mission of the local church, and what kind of local church God is calling Redeeming Life to be.
It's been a fun journey we've been on since that first night in my home. I remember the question we dealt with. If you were there, do you remember? What is the Church? And to get at the answer, I recall that we discussed Matthew 18:15-20 in light of Matthew 16:13-20. On that night, we were looking at the 'big C' Church. And we looked at how the local churches all around the world fit within the Church as Jesus as it's Head.
Now I'd like to to explore what the local church is, or what it can be. I'd like to discuss us, a local church. We probably all have ideas of what the local church looks like in one form or another. We have our ideal dreams; we have our jaded history; or maybe we've never really thought about it. As we move forward we need to think about it. We need to study what God is doing with our little church plant and get on board with his plans.
As you meet with your House Fellowship this week, I'd like you to discuss why you feel called to be a part of Redeeming Life Church. Or maybe you're unsure. That's okay but please consider chatting about that. What do feel you bring to this body of many parts? What do you hope to see in Redeeming Life's future? Who are we and who is God calling us to be? Who would you like to see join us? It's really an exciting time for us!
Journeying into the new year, we're going to start a discussion on our relationship with one another as a local church. Some may cringe, but we'll be talking about words like covenant and membership and commitment. Our doctrine and mission will certainly enter the conversation. To what level are we going to commit to walking the Christian walk together? It's true that iron sharpens iron, but how sharp are we going to allow ourselves to be? How much will we allow Christ to be formed in us through our journey together? Humility and commitment and unity and love will move us forward. I suspect it will be a great conversation.
And this conversation will me a movable feast. You'll have the opportunity to get involved how, when, and where you're comfortable. It will start with the sermon on November 30th. 'll be coming to your House Fellowship to teach and discuss. I'm available for coffee and open to chat anytime. Indeed, it's an exciting time.
Please continue to pray about what God is molding Redeeming Life Church (that's you and me) to be. I'm thankful for your prayers and I thank God for you often!
Soli Deo gloria!
Pastor Bryan
* Photo used in this post comes from our Risen Life Graceway Media account.