Sermons bring conviction. Community builds commitment. Need em both.[1]
It’s one thing to identify corporate
listening principles from Scripture, as we have over the past few weeks. It’s
another thing altogether to make appropriation of those principles. That’s
where my next series of blog posts come into play. In them, I will discuss
practical ways to listen to and respond to sermons more effectively as a
corporate body of believers.
In 2012, George Hincapie—an American
professional cyclist—set a record for competing in seventeen Tours de France.
During his long career, Hincapie was instrumental in helping other riders win
the Tour on nine occasions. In seventeen Tours de France—that is a total of
approximately 340 days of racing—“Big George” wore the yellow jersey himself for
only one day and yet he became one of the most well-known and beloved cyclists
in the peloton. He embodied the title
domestique (French for ‘servant’),
being a rider who would utterly sacrifice himself in order to support his
teammates and help them accomplish their goals. For this fan-favorite, it was
all about helping others achieve their potential. In a television interview at
the end of his Tour de France career, Hincapie said, “To win the Tour de France
you have to be a freak of nature. There’s only a couple people who have the
ability to win the Tour de France and I didn’t have that ability but I did have
the ability to help those people win. I knew that and I chose to focus on
that.” Regarding his cycling legacy, Hincapie made this incredible statement:
“I just want to be remembered as one of the best teammates ever.”[2]
We should have that same mindset in the
church. We can help our fellow Christians do all they can to emulate Christ, to
be effective witnesses, to be servants of the most high God. We can dedicate
ourselves to church-wide teamwork before, during, and after the Sunday sermon.
Ask yourself: “How can I be the best spiritual teammate I can be?” The first
step is to be a part of the team.
I hope you’re convinced you need to be
devoted to a church. “An unwillingness to join a local church is tantamount to
saying we are not interested in divine accountability in our lives.”[3]
So in order to avail yourself of God’s plan for community sanctification in the
church, make sure you’re a part of a faithful church that both preaches and
lives the truths of the gospel.
On choosing a church, Joshua Harris writes,
“What’s important is to look for a church that is seeking not only to believe
rightly, but also to live rightly. It’s possible for a church to be doctrinally
sound but have a culture of total apathy when it comes to applying the truth of
God’s Word in everyday life.”[4]
For example, the people in the Ephesian church became known for their robust
doctrinal stance—a desirable attribute. However, that church also had a failing
love for Christ (Rev 2:1–7). The church members defended gospel-truth in the
face of false teachers but they allowed their love for God to wane. This dire
situation was so bad that the Lord told the Ephesian church, “Remember
therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at
first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its
place—unless you repent” (Rev 2:5). This was a stern warning—one we do well to
heed ourselves. Our commitment to guard sound doctrine
must be matched by our love for God. Our doctrinal convictions must be matched
by our obedient walk. Remember James’s instruction: “Prove yourselves doers of
the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (Jas 1:22). “That means
that the church will seek to build a culture and community of both hearing and
obeying God’s Word.”[5]
You’ll see this culture fleshed out in the founding documents of a church,
published on their website and on their bulletin, remembered each week from the
pulpit, and encouraged in all its ministries.
Once you’ve selected a solid,
Bible-teaching, Bible-practicing church, then devote yourself to consistent attendance.
Of course, there may be times when you don’t feel like sitting through another
sermon with the same frustrating people, but on those days you need to remind
yourself just how necessary it is to be there again. J. I. Packer writes, “We
should not think of our fellowship with other Christians as a spiritual luxury,
an optional addition to the exercises of private devotions.”[6]
Rather, our interactions with brothers and sisters in the Lord are the vital
cog in the wheel of spiritual growth and maturation. We are domestiques devoted to ensuring the
success of our teammates. In fulfilling this role, we also position ourselves
well for our own spiritual development.
Now, selecting and attending a church don’t
in themselves constitute devotion to Christian fellowship, so my next series of
blog posts will outline the activities that must be engaged once you’re
involved. These practical aspects of community-living are what turn mere
attendance into genuine partnership.
Catch you next week . . .
Catch you next week . . .
[1] “Lecrae@Lecrae” http://twitter.com/lecrae/statuses/229935523437895681
(accessed: July 30, 2012).
[2] Steephill TV, “George Hincapie: Want to Be Remembered as One of the
Best Teammates (2012/tour-de-france),”
http://www.steephill.tv/players/720/nbcsports/?title=George+Hincapie:+%27Want +to+be+remembered+as+one+of+the+best+teammates%27&dashboard=tour-de-france&id=48275750&yr
=2012 (accessed: July 23, 2012).
[3] Wayne A. Mack and David Swavely, Life in the Father’s House: A
Member’s Guide to the Local Church, 2nd ed. (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R
Publishing, 2006), 51.
[4] Joshua Harris, Stop Dating the Church (Sisters, OR:
Multnomah Publishers, 2004), 91.
[5] Ibid.
[6] J. I. Packer, God's Words: Studies of Key Bible Themes
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1981), 193.
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