Pastor Bobby Gilles preached “How We Live, Part 1” in our “Orientation” series. He said that we follow Jesus and learn to love God and each other like Jesus.
Pastor Bobby Gilles preached “How We Live, Part 1” in our “Orientation” series. He said that we follow Jesus and learn to love God and each other like Jesus.
My name is Bobby, I’m one of the pastors here. Pastor Jonah came down with Covid a couple days ago. As you know, we’re in the middle of a series called Orientation, where we are presenting new membership class materials. The Orientation class will be the first of two classes that new members attend. The second one is called Beliefs, and we will host it Saturday, February 10. You can sign up at sojournnewalbanyDOTcomSLASHmembership.
We wanted to take all of you through our Orientation material because this is about the culture of our church. Now, why am I on video? Well, since Pastor Jonah is out with Covid and since quite a few Sojourners have been sick with Covid, the flu, and other things, we thought it would be safest if I recorded this. Then I’d be available to serve wherever else I’m needed on Sunday - so I’m in two places at once!
Now I’m simply going to be reading through Pastor Jonah’s manuscript, which he had written before he got sick. SO …. this will be my best sermon ever.
Here we go, Jonah’s manuscript:
The other day, Booker and I were playing in the backyard. I was telling him about the Cincinnati Bengals. And pyramids, Land Rovers, the Nephilim … then Allison called us inside.
Okay, just kidding. Let’s get real.
We are on week 3 of Orientation. We’ll finish next week, and then the week after that Pastor Jonah will answer your questions about this series. Feb 4.
If you have questions:
Today we are talking about how we live - five identities we inhabit as Christians. These are old topics at Sojourn. Whole lobby space is built around this what we are covering this week and next.
Stop by the "How We Grow" wall in our lobby for resources on any of these Five Identities.
"Identity" is a word we hear a lot about lately. We hear the word, but what is it?
Identity refers to the way you answer the questions "who am I" and "where do I belong"
Depending on your story, your background, you'll answer that differently.
In the US, psychologists argue that teenagers need to focus on establishing a personal sense of self.
This sense of self needs to be separate from parents or peers.
In the United States, there is only me. Identity is a personal, individual question.
So I can "identify" however I want, because it's a me decision, and we build out systems and structures as a culture to foster an individual sense of identity.
In Eastern cultures, though, this strategy sounds ridiculous.
Eastern cultures say someone's identity is only found within a group
You are not an individual, you are part of a family, or a city, or a country etc.
The West says "find out who you are and where you belong through separation"
The East says "There is no you apart from everyone else"
Which one is right? Very difficult. Cultures, histories, politics, religions...all the things that shape this understanding of
"Identity" are complex, and most of us are drawn to either Western or Eastern models
To put it in a Christian context, the question for us becomes:
Does Jesus make me a new individual or part of a new group?
Western cultures are right...and they're wrong!
Eastern cultures are right...and they're wrong!
Western cultures say focus on self improvement
Eastern cultures say forget yourself entirely
And both these messages are contained on the path of following Jesus.
Sojourn believes that adoption into the family of God opens up 5 ways of being in the world, 5 identities, 5 core rhythms. They describe the life of following Jesus
Our mission describes what we're doing
Our core values describe what we love
And our 5 identities describe HOW WE LIVE
Each of these identities will affirm parts of our perspective...but they will confront others
They will each expose some of the inadequacies of our assumptions, and each offer a new way forward as a citizen of God's Kingdom
See, Jesus' gospel gives us better answers to those fundamental questions than our cultural, national, or religious traditions.
And his Gospel, first and foremost, is not an invitation into a system or strategy, but into a relationship.
Jesus says "FOLLOW ME." That's the call, that's relational, that's our first and fundamental identity: DISCIPLES.
Identity One: We are DISCIPLES
When Sojourn first began, we called this identity "learners"
That's what many people think of when they think of discipleship.
"Who is discipling you" often means "who is leading your book study?"
Discipleship for us was about thick books, big words, hard thinking.
These are good practices/habits, but they're not discipleship.
Disciples of Jesus spend time with Jesus in order to become like Jesus.
Each of these identities are relational, how we live in God's relational design.
We relate to Jesus as his disciples, coming to JESUS, spending time with JESUS, in order to become like JESUS
Not to know information about him, not to say what he said, but to know him.
To know the sound of his voice, the sound of his footsteps, to imitate how he lived and loved
Discipleship is about more than information.
Here's one of the most interesting verses in the whole Bible. Happens after Jesus' resurrection.
When [the disciples] saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!
-Matthew 28:17
They had all of the information. They were in all the Bible studies.
As we've seen in our journey through Mark's Gospel, Jesus told them what would happen. And it was not enough.
Ultimately, the disciples need the very presence of Jesus inside of them
That's what brought them confidence, power in ministry, power in life.
It wasn't answers, it was relationship. POWER came through PRESENCE.
That's the invitation of discipleship. Here one example from Jesus:
Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.
-Matthew 11:28-30
Do you see how this relational invitation contains both information and presence?
We come to Jesus to learn from him, receive from him, find rest in him, and we become like him.
The invitation of discipleship is an invitation to Jesus.
Everything we do at Sojourn has Jesus at the center. We are constantly asking things like:
Are we experiencing the rest of soul Jesus promised us?
Are we experiencing the humble, gentle heart of Jesus?
Is the yoke we are carrying easy to bear, is this burden light?
When the answer to those questions is "no", we assume we have done something wrong.
Discipleship describes the way we relate to Jesus.
We come to Jesus to become like Jesus.
In your workbooks, you'll find a chart that describes many of the discipleship opportunities for you here. Some are formal, some informal.
Scripted and unscripted. Because this is how relationships work.
You can't plan and strategize all of it
Fundamentally, we have to see that discipleship is coming to Jesus to become like Jesus. Not getting stuff done for Jesus, not proving something for Jesus or one another.
We come to him to experience the truth of his rich promises.
And as we become like Jesus, the way we relate to God and each other changes.
Identity two: we are WORSHIPERS
Identity three: we are SERVANTS
"Worshiper" describes the way we relate to God our father.
"Servants" describes the way we relate to one another.
So, vertically, what does it mean to be a worshiper?
Worship is our life-long response to the beauty of God.
"Worship" is part of our inherent design. It has all kinds of religious baggage, but all of us are worshiping all the time.
Jesus reconciles us to God and enables us to turn our worship to the only source worthy of worship: God.
And before getting into what worship actually is, you have to know what it does.
Fundamentally, worship reminds us that we are safe.
Worship fills the human soul with safety
Sometimes we think of worship as gasoline we have to put in God's engine.
God is running low on worship, so we worship him to fill him back up.
Some of us think worship is what we do to get out of trouble.
I'm in debt to God, so I'll pay him back with some singing or if it gets bad enough I might raise a hand...
But worship is for humans, not for God.
What I mean is that
Worship changes humans, not God
Have you ever come to church feeling anxious, guilty, tired, afraid? Worn out from life.
By the second song, perhaps your shoulders have relaxed. Heart rate slowed.
You find yourself able to really listen to the sermon...then we come to communion and you feel a sense of stillness, or gratitude, come over you.
by the end of the service you feel lighter, more confident, eager to face the day...?
have you had that experience? It's one of the most common experiences.
because worship lifts our eyes up off our circumstances and reminds us of what is most true, good, and beautiful: God!
It shifts our focus from our hard lives back on to the good news of the gospel, and we are reminded we are safe.
Worship is one of the primary ways we become like Jesus, because we become what we worship.
Humans become what they worship
If you ever want to learn more about this, get “We Become What We Worship” by GK Beale, but this is the problem with idolatry, worshiping something other than God.
You become like the object of your worship.
after Israel worshiped a golden cow statue at Sinai, do you remember what God called them? a stiff necked people
It's a farming word describing cows that won't receive a yoke. won't turn their head.
stubborn, unmoving, unteachable, ineffective.
they worship a stiff-necked cow statue and God says "you're stiff-necked cow statues!"
you become what you worship.
And Jesus has set us free to worship God so that we can become like him, filling our souls with safety.
so what is worship? Here are three words to help us understand worship:
Worship shapes your COMMITMENTS
Worship receives your SACRIFICES
Worship produces your CELEBRATIONS
If you want to know what it is you worship, ask yourself:
what am I eager to commit to?
what do I sacrifice for?
what gets my deepest celebrations?
If I'm being honest, I often worship NFL football. embarrassing, I know.
But I have that game blocked off. Pastor Jonah does too – he admits it, I’m not telling on him.
That game time slot has a 10' wall around his schedule
And a few years ago when it looked the bengals were going to win their first playoff game in 30 years, he didn't care what the ticket cost, he didn't care that it was going to be zero degrees at kickoff. He sacrificed money, comfort, and time to be there.
and when the bengals beat the LA Raiders to win their first playoff game in 30 years,
Jonah and the whole city of Cincinnati rejoiced. walking around the streets until 1am hugging strangers.
That's something like worship. and when the bengals went on to lose the super bowl, he was not a happy camper around the office ...
What are the non-negotiable items in your schedule? what are you devoted to?
every commitment requires some kind of sacrifice. if you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else.
so, what do you sacrifice for?
we commit and sacrifice in hopes of experiencing joy. safety, happiness, confidence.
What stirs the deepest joy and the truest celebrations in you?
many of us worship a sports team. Roll Tide.
Many of us worship our children
Many of us worship our jobs
Many of us worship our political party.
and of our course we wouldn't say that, would we?
But those are the things we commit to, we sacrifice for, and we celebrate over.
Those things are not inherently bad, but they are inadequate objects of worship
Because these things do not commit to us, do not sacrifice for us, and do not celebrate over us.
We've been let down by our sports team, our children leave home, our jobs force us into early retirement to hire someone younger, our politicians lie and betray us.
and so, we gather together and return to worship God.
Jesus says "come to me, I'll show you how to be human."
and he does this by committing to us: he came and lived among us.
he heals us, restores us, leads us.
as the nicene Creed says, FOR OUR SAKE he came, was crucified.
Jesus commits to us!
He sacrificed for us, giving his life on the cross.
and, maybe you don't know this, but he rejoices over us.
He rejoices over us with singing, he says that choirs of angels burst into song when one of his children come back home.
and he does this as an act of worship to God and great love for us.
He restores our worship, and allows us to truly experience the rest he promised, the light yoke and easy burden.
We turn our commitments, sacrifices, and celebrations to God not because we have to, but because we need to.
Don't you want to be free? to be safe? to be healed and whole?
That's the invitation of worship
disciples come to Jesus to become like him, and this makes us worshipers of God where we can truly be safe.
and this in turn shapes the way we relate to our fellow humans as God’s servants.
Service to others is the overflow of a life of worship to God.
Can you imagine how your priorities might shift if you knew you were safe, loved, you belonged, and were cared for?
As we live lives of worship, we begin recognizing and expecting God to show up in our lives.
As we live lives of worship, we'll see the many ways God takes care of us, and we'll begin expecting him to do so.
and this produces a kind of freedom few of us can even imagine.
Let me show you just one example of this, Acts 3.
Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o'clock prayer service.
-Acts 3:1
We see a commitment and a sacrifice here. Middle of the day! Going to pray.
As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was carried in...so he could beg from the people going into the temple.
-Acts 3:2
You're driving to church...and you see a rough looking guy holding a sign at the intersection. What do you do? Suddenly have something to check on your phone, right? Pretend you don't see him?
Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, "Look at us!"
-Acts 3:4
Can you imagine? Stare right back at him, and just to be sure, he says "LOOK AT US!"
Inconvenient time. Not what they're there to do...but they're expecting God might be up to something.
They are worshiping.
The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money.
-Acts 3:5
Makes sense. I've got my sign out, they know what I'm here for:
But Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold for you."
-Acts 3:6
HEY! LOOK AT ME! I can't give you money.
This is not cruel, this is free.
Peter and John knew what they DID NOT have.
Do you see that? They knew what they didn't have and were honest about it.
Can you even imagine that? When was the last time you said no?
We don't talk about this very much, but core to living as a servant is knowing what you do not have.
This is one of the hardest lessons I've had to learn as a pastor.
Do you know what you don't have? Do you know where you cannot help?
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SAY "NO"?
servants know what they do not have. But they also know what they DO have:
But I'll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!
-Acts 3:6
Try not to get hung up on the miracle here. Peter had this power. Some of you do, too.
We've seen healings in this church. Some folks can serve in this way.
The point is that Peter and John knew what they had and gave it freely.
Not when it was convenient, not when they thought the person deserved it.
Some of us come from traditions where serving means we always say "YES"
If you're younger, and have no idea what you have and don't have, that can be wise
In your 20s, you should say yes to almost every opportunity to serve, do, or try.
But as you get older, you need to recognize Jesus didn't always do what people asked him to.
Sometimes this meant saying no to individuals, sometimes no to large groups.
Jesus knew how and when to say YES and NO
And his disciples, who have come to him and are becoming like him, develop this skill too, just like Peter and John.
The key here is awareness.
Awareness of what we have and what we do not.
Servants respond to the goodness of God by growing in awareness and willingness.
We are not selfish servants here, those who serve only to meet their own needs
These people might show up to the landscaping day so the whole church can see how committed they are, but they're not disinfecting the kids' classrooms all alone on a wednesday.
They serve because it furthers their life plans, making themselves look good.
Their service is often motivated by a desire to prove to others or repay God.
That's not us, that's not Jesus' invitation.
We are not selfless servants here, either. Those who think they have unlimited resources
These people deny their own humanity, living like they have no limitations
They serve because they are asked, not because they desire meaningful connection with God and others, not as a response of worship to God.
Over time, their service turns the heart cold and tired, burdened and exhausted.
We are not selective servants here, those who only serve when it's convenient
To be a servant is to receive a new identity that shapes the way we relate to one another.
This means, like Peter and John, it won't always be convenient.
Instead, we are becoming servants of all.
We serve to make a meaningful connection with God and others, a response of worship to God and a desire to be blessing to those around us.
The two words that guide a servant of all are AWARENESS and WILLINGNESS
Awareness means you know what you are good at, you know your gifts, you know your place in the body of Christ.
Willingness means you are eager to give those gifts away for the good of those around you.
If you lack awareness, start saying "yes" until someone tells you "no"
Start trying stuff. Join the connect team. Serve in SojournKids.
Learn how to run the sound board. So many opportunities here.
In your workbook, there are a list of next steps in light of various interests.
Just pick one. It's not a life sentence, at most it's 4 months.
You grow in awareness by saying "yes" until someone tells you "no"
Like, “Hey, I don't think kids is really for you. Why don't you try this?”
Or, “Oh man, you really excelled at that, you should keep going.”
It’s not shameful to be bad at something, we are not all gifted in the same way. Justin NEVER lets me sing on the worship team. I should audition right now in front of you.
If you lack willingness, well, those are Jesus' favorite people to use!
For most of us, willingness is birthed by fear and insecurity.
You think you're not good enough, or it'll go bad.
There's something so hilarious that happens in this story with Peter and John, we miss the tension of it. Peter makes this bold declaration, IN THE NAME OF JESUS GET UP! But...if you try to imagine being in the story...nothing happens.
Look at verse 7:
Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up.
-Acts 3:7
Can you imagine Peter shouting healing over this man, and he just lays there?
What is the crowd thinking? Why didn't it work? Peter looks so foolish!
So he reaches his hand down and helps him up. How awkward...how unlike a miracle...
And as he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed...
-Acts 3:7
If you lack willingness, I get it. I really do. I just want you to know that
Being a servant means having the courage to step out in faith and trust God for the results
I don't have money, so I'll say no.
Jesus said I have power to heal, so I'll try.
Doesn't look like it worked, but I'll see if I can help him up...
Courage. And where does that come from?
The presence of Jesus inside of us.
We are disciples who come to Jesus to become like him.
This makes us worshipers of God, able to experience true safety in the presence of God
And this frees us to serve each other, growing in awareness and willingness, growing in courage to step out in faith and trust God for the results.
So, come to Jesus, become like Jesus, follow Jesus, and learn to love God and one another just like Jesus.
Let's end our time saying the Lord’s Prayer together.