end: [22:13] “...caught up in bureaucracy, it’s kind of drifted”
Comments
People are comfortable with Jesus if they can relegate him to an ancient historical teacher
He is totally wrong that Jesus “ended up inadvertently forming a religion”
Matthew 28
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age”
Act 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”
Design Principles
Something you nail to the wall and use to guide all your decisions
If we all agree on the principles, they can keep us on track and help us resolve differences
Otherwise things will just drift
Jesus’ Design Principles
Is he right about Jesus’ design principles for his followers?
“do unto other as you would have them do unto you” [Matt 7:1]
Yes, he is quite right!
It he right that this has tended to get lost in bureaucracy?
In many cases, yes!
Are there any other design principles?
Discussion time...
The Church is a visible expression of the Kingdom and he said a lot about the Kingdom
What did Jesus say about the Kingdom?
Hand out printout of John 17:14-26
read through it together
What do we get from v.14-16?
Design Principle 1
How we relate to the world
We do not belong to the world,
just as Jesus does not belong to the world
But we are to live as part of the world
What does it look like if we ignore part B. of this principle?
culturally cut-off.
segregated from society “Christian this and Christian that”
Does this happen?
What does it look like if we ignore part A. of this principle?
Lives are no different to the world
“Salt has lost its savour”
Does this happen?
Design Principle 2
We are sent into this world, just as Jesus was
Just as Jesus was “consecrated” [holy] for this task, so are we to be
This happens by means of “truth”
Why was Jesus sent to this earth?
to reveal God to man
to bring hope, reconcilliation, eternal life (Joh 3:16)
What does it mean that he was consecrated to this task?
dedicated, single minded
The church is to continue the work of Jesus
The church is the embodiment of Jesus on this earth
How does “Truth” make us consecrated, dedicated to this purpose?
Becoming like Jesus is not automatic, it requires
the Spirit
the truth that Jesus brought (and gave through later writings)
there is a process that the Spirit takes that truth and steers us by it
As we read the truth, the Spirit uses it to focus and dedicate us
Design Principle 3
The goal is that the world will believe our “testimony”
that is: that Jesus is from God
they will believe this when they see supernatural love and unity between us
So here we have the principle that Jeremy Keith was alluding to
although he missed the point!
Has the church always made this a principle?
can you think of when this doesn’t happen?
Why is this “supernatural”
surely people can love each other?
those we would never love naturally
not self-centred because the love of Jesus is in us
Everyone believes in theory that love is a good thing,
so what makes it different if you call it a fundamental principle?
you say “I’m not going to do this, but instead I will do this, because this is my guiding principle”
Design Principle 4
This love has a second purpose: Our destiny, united with Jesus
This is the ultimate design goal for the church
to be a bride for Jesus
What is the connection between the Father’s love for Jesus, and the love that lives in us?
God is actually forming his own character of love in us
So we will be able to live with him forever
Design Principles
We do not belong to the world, but we are to live as part of the world
We are sent into this world, just as Jesus was
dedicated to showing God’s character and love
transformed by “truth”
The world will believe us when they see supernatural love and unity between us
This love has a second purpose: Our destiny, united with Jesus