Pastor Jonathan's Monday reflection:
"What you are doing is not healthy. You and the people can't keep it up, you will wear yourselves out!"
Jethro's words to Moses, wisdom, the articulation of his care for the prophet. They rejoiced together over what God had done, Jethro watched Moses work with an attentive eye, and then he gave counsel. Helpful, life changing, worth-paying-attention-to counsel.
In our day we have a deficit of this sort of counsel. It is pretty rare actually, even in the church where we are supposed to flourish in life because we get it. People who deeply care for us, seeing our lives and giving affirmation and guidance.
What if we reclaimed this sort of community and reclaimed the witness of deep relationships within the church. It would be living as designed, an infective witness to all who observed us.
Last week I heard a story about a doctor doing some significant research within a closed population. He controlled all the factors and brought his presuppositions to the data. But the evidence was overwhelming. What he assumed would happen, maybe even hoped would happen, didn't and quite the opposite transpired.
In our current cultural moment, this is exactly what biblical community does to those paying attention. There are assumptions about what "Jesus people" and the church are supposed to look like. Even what churches do is assumed. But being united with the church in relationship as we are united with Christ in faith is precisely the overwhelming evidence needed to show that Jesus claims and forms a people for his glory.
This is no easy task but it is central to our evangelism and it is empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Sunday we will begin our great endeavor through the Book of Acts and it is just this type of community we see not as the primary point of church history, but a fruit of living for the mission of making Jesus known in the whole world.
Let's begin the adventure committing to one another for the glory of Christ. Find a small group, build a bible study and connect with brothers and sisters in Christ. This is what our lives are meant for. Let's get it.