Village Church Blog

Culture: The Necessity of Strategy

Steve — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:33:33 +0000

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
(1 Corinthians 10:23-33 ESV)

Mission drives community into culture

The Church’s battle cry must be that we are changed people changing people through the hope that is found in Jesus. This does not happen without the movement that God brings about in our lives by which we go from redeemed to redeeming. The redemption that takes place in our lives must translate into redemption taking root in other peoples’ lives through the power of the Gospel. We form community around the hope of the Gospel. We must realize though that the mission that formed the community also is a driving force for the community to engage culture with the Gospel.

When we are truly growing in our relationship with Jesus (which no Christian would deny the desire for) we will necessarily become more passionate about the mission of Jesus. We will begin to see a desire to find the best way possible to take the redemption that Jesus has brought to our lives and take it to the lives of others. The problem is that most people never get past the desire stage to actually setting up lifestyle strategies inside of their community in order to see the Church actually making an impact in the lives of culture.

Engaging culture requires strategy (1 Corinthians 10:23-27)

“All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful.” Paul constantly sought a strategy that would help him to take the Gospel into the culture in the best way possible. Paul pens this phrase or a version of this phrase a few times throughout this book of 1 Corinthians. In chapter 6 it is followed by the phrase, “All things are lawful, but I will not be enslaved by anything.” He uses the same terminology in chapter 9 when he says he has made himself a “servant” or “slave” to [people] that he could win them to the Gospel.

Often, when dealing with the issue of relating to the culture in order that we may take the mission of Jesus to them, we focus on the “things” of culture rather than the “people” of culture. Throughout 1 Corinthians Paul is careful to draw Corinth to the point that they can see that they completely lose sight of the Gospel while they are attempting to delve into the culture. This is why strategy is so important. The church at Corinth had gone into the culture without any type of strategy, and what resulted was that they had begun to blend with the culture.

There was no strategy, so they faced problems on two fronts. Their engagement with the culture had led them to lose their fervor for Gospel saturation and the community began to suffer through the lack of discipleship that was obviously taking place as they did not care enough about the people they should have formed Gospel community with in order to help them grow past their cultural and idolatrous offenses.

Culture must not sacrifice community (1 Corinthians 10:28-29; Romans 14:13-19

The quality of our cultural engagement is determined by the health of our community. How we go into the culture is going to be determined by the types of disciples the church is making. If we bypass community in order to engage the culture we will be drawing them into an unhealthy, uncaring, and unloving community, and that is not how the Kingdom of God is going to be built.

The way in which we react to the struggles and temptations of those in community will be aid us in loving those outside of the community with the mission. Romans 14:15 reveals that our conduct with one another must be one that propels the mission of Jesus in the lives of those within the community of the Church. 1 Cor. 10:28 exhibits an example of how community must not be placed on the backburner for the mission. You are not more missional when you forsake Gospel community because you think it is better to be unhindered by the very people that Jesus has redeemed.

Community must not hinder Mission (Romans 14:20; Galatians 2:11-14; 1 Cor. 10:31-32)

If my action causes someone to be tempted to fall back into a life of sin, then I have failed. Romans 14:20 shows us that those things that are offensive and cause the weaker brother problems are actual sin issues. But if your problems and offenses come from religious self-righteousness, your problem is that you are unmissional and you actually need to be offended. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for a person is to tell him he is wrong. Sometimes the weaker brother would rather stay weak than grow and become more missional.

Paul did this for Peter in Galatians 2. Peter was in Antioch, which was a church of mostly Gentiles, discipling them in close relationship. But when Jewish Pharisees came through town, rather than opposing their religious legalism, he wouldn’t have anything to do with the Gentiles while they were there. When Paul rolled through Antioch, he opposed Peter and told him he was wrong and needed to grow in the mission of Jesus and change. We must not forsake our call to mission for the sake of harmony within our community. Harmony does not always equal a missional community.

Culture is engaged for redemption (1 Corinthians 10:31-33; Jeremiah 29:7-9)

We started this series with Jeremiah 29:7-9. God has placed us in the culture in order to engage it with the Gospel as it works redemption into and out of our lives. When we make the issue of culture about things or activities that we can and can’t take part in because we are Christians we begin to set up barriers to the mission of Jesus in our lives.

Revolutionary movement comes from real life change that is only possible through the Gospel. This is what Paul is talking about in 1 Cor. 10:33. He is seeing a vision of people living out the vision of God in Jeremiah 29. This is what it looks like to believe the Gospel. We begin to redeem even the sinful hang-ups we have with the culture around us so that we can better engage them on their own turf. We begin to be the light of the world, and that isn’t about religious morality, it is about hope. We must exercise hope to this culture, because that is what the Gospel brings. Jesus has redeemed His people for the good of the many different cultures that they are in so that they may be His instruments to take the message of change through Jesus to the world.

Baptism Celebration

Steve — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:40:53 +0000

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

God is working the Gospel in and through the lives of the people at the Village. When we are redeemed through our trust in Jesus, he tells us to proclaim it to the world through the act of baptism.

Sacrament is defined as a visual sign of an inward grace. While on earth, Jesus instituted 2 sacraments through which His Church would visually demonstrate the truth of the Gospel together. One is the Lord’s Supper. Through the bread and the cup we see the body and blood of Christ’s tragic yet beautiful sacrifice for the sin of mankind as well as a descriptive picture of the imputation of His righteousness. We reflect on this weekly at the Village.

The second we will celebrate for the first time as a Church on Sunday, June 6. Baptism is a step of obedient devotion that Jesus commands His followers take part in to signify the purifying transformation through the Gospel, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and union with the community of the Church in Jesus. It is a time of celebration as we praise God together for the work He is doing in the lives of the people being discipled.

We have a few people already signed up to be baptized on this day, but there is still room for more. If you are a part of the Village or want to be part of the Village and would like more information, please feel free to contact me at: steve@villagemidlothian.org

Again, the celebration will be Sunday, June 6 @ 10 am @ Swift Creek Elementary School.

Core: The Gospel According to Culture

Steve — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:17:11 +0000

When Paul was asked by a church that was struggling to live for Jesus and show His mission to the culture they lived in whether they were allowed to eat meat that had been used in pagan temple worship, he used the opportunity to help them understand why they were asking questions to avoid their real problems. Paul used the opportunity to spend time revealing their real problem. They were not motivated to live by the Gospel. Their place in culture was not about whether they could eat or drink certain things, but rather, what motivated them to go into the culture. The Gospel demanded that they engage the culture with the mission of Jesus that had saved them. In one part he tells them:

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
(1 Corinthians 9:19-23 ESV)

Many who claim to believe the Gospel live like they are bound to a certain culture (and it’s usually not even one that they enjoy). We are not bound to an earthly culture, but the Gospel calls us to be bound to a missional culture consumed with the mission of Jesus. Many avoid the culture around them because they believe that it is sinful and misunderstand the calling that the Gospel puts on our lives. We are not saved out of the culture but rather, to become messengers of hope and reconciliation with God for the sake of those within the culture. The Gospel demands that we live the mission of Jesus in the culture.

The Gospel Demands Missional Humility (1 Corinthians 9:19)

When we call ourselves followers of Jesus we are not speaking of a standard of moral law that we have been enslaved to, but a mission in which we are graciously transformed so that we may choose to enslave ourselves, because that is the heart of Jesus. Jesus was truly free from all. But because of the great love that God loves us with, he humbled Himself under the mission to seek and save the lost and died under the penalty of our sins. Paul is enslaving himself to the revealed and obvious will of God through the revelation of Jesus.

When we set up cultures inside of the community of the church that are not blatantly missional and are more self-consumed than culturally relevant in order to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus, then our posture is not one of humility under the mission of Jesus. We must willfully become servants to the people in the culture around us. Missional humility brings about cultural humility. There is no such thing as a culture untainted by sinfulness. The culture itself does not cause or create or commit sin. People do that, and we cannot avoid people, but we must be motivated by getting the Gospel to people through the life that we live in front of and alongside them.

The Gospel Demands a Missional Mindset (1 Corinthians 9:20-22)

We must seek to bring the Gospel to the cultures around us in a way that is faithful to the Scriptures and is accessible to the culture. This is what Paul exhibited. In Jerusalem, Paul used the law and followed the law. In Athens, he preached through the culture of intellect and philosophy. In Corinth, Paul became a tentmaker and preached only the crucifixion to the pagan, blue-collar culture.

We must see ourselves as missionaries. Like Paul in Athens, we must use the tools of this culture in order to reach the people of the culture. We must form that same kind of missionary mindset by first saturating ourselves with the truth of the Gospel through God’s word in order to ensure our motives.

We must then get over our biases, prejudices, preferences, etc. that hinder the movement of the Gospel. In His sacrifice, Jesus removed the barrier between God and man, reconciling those who believe to Him. We must resist the prideful urge to erect religious and traditional barriers to the Gospel so that more may hear. We must become all things to all people that we may reach the most people. The mission compels us to live in such a way that we reach as many people as possible within our lifetime.

The Gospel Demands Missional Sacrifice (1 Corinthians 9:23)

True worship does not come without sacrifice. When we sacrifice, what we are saying is, “Jesus, you are more valuable, God your glory is more precious than these fleeting, fading, likes and dislikes.” It represents a life in which we believe that the mission of Jesus going forward into the lives of others is more satisfying and enjoyable than any cultural preference or personal barrier that I might have. That forms a missional culture that can go unhindered into the culture at large in Gospel engagement.

Belief in the Gospel brings with it a mentality that others are more important than myself. When the Spirit proceeds to work its way out of our lives through the reality of the Gospel, this causes a humble understanding that all I am is because of who Jesus is. This causes a missional mindset that brings about missional sacrifice.

The Gospel Demands a Missional Vision

The advancement of the Gospel is paramount to any other desire that I have in my life. As we strive to live this out, we will fail, and most of us will fail often. The Gospel must become our vision for living. In living the mission of Jesus we must constantly create environments in our lives to remind us that our identity, security, and success is not based on our missionary accomplishments. In doing this, we are denying the very Gospel we claim to be living for.

We must build a culture of Gospel saturation that prepares us to engage the cultures that we live in with a Gospel that we ourselves trust in. In doing this, our vision will spring from that which motivates us. We must develop a vision for our lives in which we are motivated to take the Gospel into the culture. The mission of Jesus exists to reach the people that live inside of culture. Therefore, we must live inside of that culture. We must be a culture within a culture for the sake of the culture through the hope of the Gospel.

CORE

Steve — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 19:05:44 +0000

Last week, we started our new series, CORE. Over the next few weeks we will be exploring the Core Values of Village Church and laying out what the Church of Jesus is all about. We will be spending the next 10 weeks laying the foundation of what a life filled with Redemption, Mission, Community, and Culture.

Last week, we looked at the redeemed life that is available for us because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. We saw over 100 people at our worship experience last week! God blessed the efforts of all of you Villagers that spent time getting the word out and inviting friends and family to come hear the Gospel.

The journey is not over yet though. This week we will be looking further into the reality of redemption in our lives as God transforms us through the finished work of His Son, Jesus. You do not want to miss out as we begin to explore the new life that God has in store for us as we lay out the impact that the mission of Jesus has on the lives of His Church!

As we move through CORE, we will see that God doesn’t simply want us to explore His mission, but rather, He wants us to take part in His mission and form a plan to reach the world with His Gospel. Join us tomorrow @ 10 am @ Swift Creek Elementary School.

Tomorrow @ The Village

Steve — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:42:24 +0000

The Gospel is the work of God in our lives. Sounds great, doesn’t it? This is something that is often heard in churches around the world. What though does that look like in day to day life? Is it a journey of moral purity? Is it a political agenda of forcing the world to obey God’s law?

Galatians 5:18 reveals that those who believe the Gospel are led by the Spirit and are not to live a life under the law. How can we identify the work of the Spirit in our lives and be sure God is at work without the law as our measure?

A Gospel-centered life is one that is marked by freedom to live as God designed life. Tomorrow, we will seek to understand what kind of life God desires to produce, and how that is the way that the Gospel of Jesus will spread throughout our community and world.

Join us tomorrow at the Village @ 10 am @ Swift Creek Elementary

Remember, turn your clocks forward one hour tonight as Daylight Savings starts tomorrow! If you show up around 11 am thinking that it is 10 am, just come on in anyway… we won’t judge you

See you in the morning!

Tomorrow @ The Village

Steve — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:00:22 +0000

Have you ever wondered what it would look like if the Gospel moved in a radical way in your life? Have you ever questioned what it would look like? Most of us live lives in an ordinary fashion and go about our days and weeks with little or no impact for the Gospel of Jesus.

We spend a great deal of time attempting to see where Jesus can fit into our lives. Where does the Gospel fit in the life that I am building? On the surface, that may sound like a great question to ask. The truth behind it though, is that God does not fit anywhere in the life that you are building. God desires to deconstruct your life, and reconstruct His life through you.

We are slaves to our own lives, and most of us don’t even realize it. We are heirs to the promises of God, yet our lives rarely reflect this reality. God has a covenant of freedom that is waiting for us to truly trust in Him, and He will unlock a radical life of revolutionary movement through Jesus. Tomorrow at The Village we will take a look at this kind of life through the words of Paul in Galatians 4:21-31. Join us @ Swift Creek Elementary @ 10 am and you may unlock a life that you never dreamed you could have.

Worship Experience on Sunday 2/7 Cancelled

Nate — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:19:44 +0000

As the weather forecasts continue to worsen, Chesterfield County has once again closed all buildings for the weekend. Because of this, we are unable to meet at Swift Creek Elementary School on Sunday. We have weighed all possible options, and because of the deteriorating weather, have decided to cancel this Sundays service instead of seeking a different venue.

As I stated last week, this does not mean you cannot worship God. God’s mission through His Son, Jesus goes far outside of the walls of our auditorium and into each of our lives. As we dig out from this third snowstorm of the year, please keep all those around you in mind. Maybe there were missed opportunities last weekend, or there will be new opportunities available this time. Our neighborhoods are ripe with people, and will be busy with activity once the snow ends. Be active and be visible for God to allow you to take part in His great mission.

Keep in mind that we WILL be meeting next Sunday, February 14 @ Swift Creek Elementary @ 10 am. We will continue through chapter 4 of Galatians as we conclude our 3-week Freedom mini-series with “Freedom to Dream.” This is a message that will cast a vision of the fact that God has a greater plan for our lives than we could ever imagine, and through Jesus, we have the freedom to dream big for the Kingdom of God. You do not want to miss it! It would be a great way to start your Valentine’s Day.

As you go through this weekend and the following week, build relationships and invite people to the Village so that they can hear the Gospel.

Also, keep in mind that as the church is scattered throughout the week, we have many choices in community groups. This is the greatest way to begin to build relationships within the church, and strategize with others how God can use your life on His mission!

Do not lose heart, and make sure you are there next Sunday as we begin to dream for the Gospel!

Steve
The Village
www.villagemidlothian.org

Second Chances

Steve — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:58:45 +0000

I have often heard the phrase, “God is a God of second chances.” Just the other day, I was driving down the road and I noticed a church sign that bore the exact phrase. We are a culture that loves second chances. Most of us would love the ability to have a second chance at something that we have failed at in life.

The question though must be asked, “Is God a God of second chances?” This desire for a second chance at life has bled over into our understanding of the Gospel, and muddied the way that we view the grace of God that is offered through Jesus. I understand our desire for a second chance, because we all fail and fail hard. We want to pick ourselves up and have another go at whatever we are doing, but is the Gospel about second chances?

What if we fail the second chance? Is God a God of third, fourth, and fifth chances? What happens if we never get it right? The core problem with viewing the Gospel as God’s way of giving us a second chance is that it leaves us in the driver’s seat to either fail or succeed. This goes to our very understanding of the Gospel. Forgiveness and grace do not work together to grant us another chance. If they did, then we would still be doomed. No matter how many chances are afforded to us, we will fail. Our desire to redeem ourselves will lead to nothing short of disaster.

A view of God as a chance-giver leads down a road that reveals God to be a cosmic Joker, because all our chances will lead to is constant stumbling. So is there hope? The Bible does not present God as someone who gives new opportunities for us to succeed, but rather He is a God who ensures success by His own works. This is especially true in the person and work of Jesus, who 2 Corinthians 1:20 presents as the absolute security of all the plans of God.

What does this mean about our failure though? It means that we must cease to view God as someone who enables us to succeed, and rather view God as our success. God does not promise a second chance. Instead, He promises an entirely new life through the hope of Jesus. Another chance implies the potential for more failure. This is not the Gospel.

We are transformed through the redemption that is delivered through Jesus. Redemption as well as the new life through it does not depend on our efforts. When God redeems, He redeems wholly, to a new life. Instead of another chance, we receive a new path in which God lays out the way in which to live, through His power and His Spirit. Will there be problems, hardships, suffering? Yes, but that is not a second chance coming to a close. It is a way for us to let the hope of the Gospel shine through our lives. Will we be disobedient and attempt to leave the path that God has made? Yes, but through that, we show our dependence on the Gospel for repentance and restoration.

I don’t need another chance from God. I need something that doesn’t depend on me. I need something sure, something that cannot fail. I need a redemption that only God can deliver. That is what we have in the Gospel of Jesus.

Worship Experience on Sunday, 1/31 Cancelled

Steve — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:58:26 +0000

I hope this note finds you safe and warm, enjoying the beautiful scenery of yet another weekend snowstorm. Unfortunately, due to the snow, Chesterfield County has closed all of their school buildings for the weekend. This means that our Sunday morning Worship Experience must be canceled. We wish the situation were different, but it is out of our hands.

This does not mean though, that you cannot spend time in worship of our great God and King tomorrow. God has given us an amazing mission through His Son, Jesus, and that mission is all around you in the lives of the people in your neighborhood. Even though many of us may not venture out in our vehicles until Monday, this is an amazing opportunity to get to know the people in your neighborhood. From helping others shovel snow, to inviting them over to share a meal, we can use this as an opportunity to build relationships with those in our extended community.

Keep in mind that we WILL be meeting next Sunday, February 7 @ Swift Creek Elementary @ 10 am. We will continue through chapter 4 of Galatians as we conclude our 3-week Freedom mini-series with “Freedom to Dream.” This is a message that will cast a vision of the fact that God has a greater plan for our lives than we could ever imagine, and through Jesus, we have the freedom to dream big for the Kingdom of God. You do not want to miss it!

Who knows, maybe today or tomorrow, you will talk to someone who you can bring to The Village for the first time to hear this message and a life will be forever changed!

Please, stay safe. We are praying for you this weekend, but in all that you do, remember the mission of Jesus!

Steve
The Village
www.villagemidlothian.org

Atmosphere

Steve — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:28:33 +0000

At The Village, we go to great lengths to create environments for people to experience God. From our Sunday worship experience to community groups to leadership meetings, we are creating environments. We do this in order to help people begin to understand the need to develop environments in their own lives to do the same thing.

One key in developing these environments is creating atmosphere. We create atmosphere in everything we do. When we invite people to our homes, we typically clean and do our best to bring them in to a welcoming and comfortable environment. When I am writing or studying, I prefer an atmosphere that is quiet with as few distractions as possible around me. Those atmospheres though, do not happen by accident – they are intentional.

In our Sunday worship experience, we do our best to intentionally create an atmosphere for worship. An entire team of dedicated people arrives at the school we meet at hours before anyone else shows up in order to transform a building from a school into a church. Our goal is to create an attractive, welcoming and exciting environment in which people can have an encounter with God.

For this to happen though, we must be intentional in every aspect of the atmosphere that we are creating. We could show up every week, put out chairs and use the provided lighting with no sound equipment and see what would happen. But we do not feel that this would be the best atmosphere to attract the most people in Midlothian to hear the Gospel. Nor do we feel that we would be giving God our absolute best and bringing him the most glory through everything that we do, as He calls us to in 1 Corinthians 10:31.

God has gifted us with the ability to be creative, and one way that we use this amazing gift is to create an unforgettable atmosphere that lends itself to the worship of God every Sunday. Through the simple use of pipe and draping, as well as creative signage and lighting elements, we have the ability to transform a harshly lit cafeteria into a sanctuary of worship that is both inviting and conducive to excitement.

The message that they will hear during this experience will probably be one of the most uncomfortable and convicting messages they have ever heard. We would like to keep that message the most uncomfortable thing they encounter that morning. If someone never comes back to The Village, we would prefer it be because the Gospel is offensive, and not because we were too lazy to be creative and create an atmosphere for worship.