21 Sep

Do you have any friends?

Do you have any real friends?

Authentic Community in the Church: What is it? By Mitchell Senti www.envisionmission.org

Mitchell Senti is a church planter/pastor/evangelist in downtown Bellingham with a ministry called Envision. His ministry is often to the disenfranchised in the downtown culture along with his wife, 3 kids and ministry team.

  • The more I minister to people who are disenfranchised, the more I realize that a lot of us feel like we don’t fit, especially in the church. We’re busy and we get disconnected easily in this culture. It’s like a big monster that we all hate, but everyone submits to. So consider these following thoughts and see if they don’t meet something in your heart that you have a tough time articulating, but are there nonetheless. Check it out:
  • After the Fall of Man, the world built the Tower of Babel to the heavens in order to come together in unity around the power of mankind. The power of man displayed itself in technological progress, a common language, and hard work. God scattered the world by confusing them with many languages because He knew that they will accomplish great progress but would never find true peace and community in that context. See Genesis 11 – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2011&version=ESV#
  • Then He called Abraham out of Ur and led Him to a Promised Land. Abraham trusted God’s voice and God began to build His community of peace through that one man. He continued doing this through Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, David, the Prophets and finally perfectly through Jesus the Messiah. But many children of Abraham rejected this call and went back to the world’s way of doing things. Some who were not children of Abraham aligned themselves with God’s community, such as Rahab and Ruth. But there was only a remnant. See Acts 7 – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%207&version=ESV

 

  • So God scattered the children of Abraham to the nations of the earth. After Jesus died for the sins of the world and rose again from death, He told his disciples to go to Jerusalem. He ascended to Heaven and from the right hand of God’s majesty the Spirit poured out upon the disciples in Jerusalem. See Acts 1:4-9- http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%201:4-9&version=ESV
  • Children of Abraham came from all the scattered nations to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, and there God poured out His Spirit along with the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Messiah. In that place He reversed the Tower of Babel so that everyone there could understand the message of Jesus Messiah as one language. He brought men and women together in peace and community by His Spirit, instead of by the power of man. See Acts 2- http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%202&version=ESV
  • Now anyone, who aligns themselves with that community under Jesus as King, has true peace and authentic community within them. We live in a very busy, lonely culture. America is a veritable Tower of Babel with great technological progress, a common language, and lots of hours of busy work to that end. The values of the American dream are quickly spreading throughout the globe, even through the spread of the English language, internet/computer technology, comforts, consumerism and economic advancement. However, this unity of the power of mankind around building this Tower does not bring peace or true community to people. That can only come through the Holy Spirit of God being poured into the hearts of little groups of disciples who love each other as God has loved them. As Abraham was a friend of God, we must first be friends with God in Jesus Messiah who is the friend of sinners. Then we can have true friendship with one another. See John 15:9-17 – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015:9-17&version=ESV

 

  • And this Message we are called to spread to the whole world by disciple-ing others to Jesus as He has taught us. The model of Jesus was not to try to reach crowds of people and set up another program or Tower for everyone to gather around. His model was to spend time with twelve men and live life with them, to teach them in that context, and then commission them to go and do the same. See Matthew 28:16-20 – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2028:16-20&version=ESV

A couple questions:

  1. Could you start skipping that weekly TV program, cut Facebook time in half, and simply decide to spend time with someone who needs to be disciple-ed face to face at least once a week?
  2. Is Christ a friend to you? Do you have any real, genuine friendships in Christ?