Category: Bridging the Gap

As we continue to bridge the gaps between God and people and among people, we find ourselves experiencing various forms of discomfort. While many long for the discomfort of maxing out our seating capacity, the experiences we will have before we get to that point may cause friction among the people who come into our fellowship and those who are already here.

Friction will come from personal differences. Some will come into the church with the baggage of damaged relationships, past church experiences, and unforgiven or unforgotten sin. Some will come into the fellowship with strong personalities and preferences.

Friction will come from different ?measures ? of faith. Some will come with brand-new faith. Others have been Christians for much of their lives ?and the levels of maturity will vary among them as well. With this will come different understandings of the Bible and varied practices of worship and service.

When this friction occurs, or better still, before then, we must remember Paul ?s words in Ephesians 4:2-7: ?Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit ?just as you were called to one hope when you were called ?one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ?

Here are a few ideas of how to bridge the gap patiently. Be direct; if you ?re upset with someone, talk to them directly. Be flexible; Christ ?s death has given us a lot more freedom than we sometimes give others credit. Be quiet; listen to others, even if they obviously don ?t have the right answers. Be encouraging; help other Christians grow in their faith. Be transparent; your faith story, your ups and downs, may be the directions someone else needs to cross the bridge.

As we get closer to July 4 and start thinking about our Independence Day celebrations, I start thinking about what it means to be free. I ?m thankful to live in a country that offers us so many freedoms in how we live our lives. But I ?m more thankful for the ultimate freedom we have in Christ to worship and serve God in what seems to be an endless number of ways. The strange thing about our Christian freedom is that we ?re actually making ourselves slaves to God. Paul had a good grasp of this: ?Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible ? (1 Corinthians 9:19).

Paul continues through the chapter listing the different ways he makes himself a slave to different people. In verse 22 he sums it up this way: ?I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. ? Obviously we ?re not supposed to practice sinful behaviors in order to win people who do the same. What Paul is saying is that he uses every means that he can to win people to Jesus. And in this age, the means that we use are more diverse than ever. As we bridge the gap between people in this diverse culture and God, we must use our creativity.

An example of this creativity is how we can use the Internet. We have just added the domain name 5milechurch.org to our web presence. So, now you can send people to www.memorialchurchofchrist.org or www.5milechurch.org to see our new website. We ?re in the process of upgrading and updating the site, but it will include a new level of interaction between us and the people checking us out on the web. Soon we will be using the web to publish our events calendar, podcast our sermons, and provide online registration for events. Watch for changes in email addresses by the end of summer.

I ?ve always been intrigued by the mechanics of the human body. In fact, I was pre-med until the fifth grade. The most fascinating thing about the human body is how the many different parts and systems work together in a complex series of chemical, electrical, mechanical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual activities orchestrated to accomplish specific tasks. And if any of those systems or parts within those systems were to fail, down to the cellular and even molecular levels, then the task will not be accomplished, at least not effectively.

It ?s the same with the church. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 12:24, 25: “God has combined the members of the body ? so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” We usually consider the earlier parts of this passage, trying to remember that all of the parts are important, and that ?s good. However, the point is really summed up in these verses. It is more important that the parts work together, undivided, with concern for each other.

With that understanding, then, nobody in the church should be able to say, “It ?s not my job.” And nobody should ask, “Why doesn ?t somebody do something about ” Because we are a body, there is a shared responsibility for everything we do. Granted, some parts are responsible for specific tasks, but none of us are working on our own, nor should we try, nor should we expect others to do so. In order for us to get the job done effectively, we must bridge the gap and share the responsibility of getting the work done. That means that we all need to pitch in to do the work when we can and also hold each other accountable, in love, for our individual responsibilities. While you ?re at it, watch for the people who are doing the “thankless” tasks and try to encourage them with a word of “thanks” ?or just take your coffee cup with you and turn the lights out if you ?re the last person in the room. Either way, we ?re in this together!

Many people look to Romans as a summary of Christian theology, but there ?s just too much there for it to be a summary. Read Ephesians 2. Now that ?s a nice summary.

?Let me sum up. ? Paul says that we were once dead in our sins, all of us, because we live in the world that is ruled by Satan. But God made us alive, by his grace, through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We have been saved because of our faith in Christ, and not by anything that we can do or have done. However, because we have been saved, we must do good works. And not only that, but because Jesus has made peace between us and God, we are all members of God ?s family, and we are being built up into the temple where God lives.

Basically, Jesus has bridged the gap between dead sinners and the living God. He has bridged the gap, bringing foreigners and aliens into the family. As a family, then, we need to work together to do the things that God has prepared for us to do. And there is a lot to be done.

You ?ll be hearing more about this soon, but the leadership has been working on the foundations of what we do, why we do it, and how we do it. The short answer to the question ?how is ministry teams. We ?ve looked at the committees and teams that have already been working, many of them informally and on their own without a lot of support or recognition, and we have identified more than 150 teams. And the list keeps growing.

We have teams that support the Sunday morning worship gatherings and programs. We have teams that help take care of our building and property and other administrative areas. We have teams that encourage fellowship and relationships through fun activities like sports and quilting. Whatever it is you are gifted to do, have experiencing doing, or just like to do, there ?s a team for you. Help us become what Christ has saved us to be and find a team where you can bridge the gap serving God and others.

This past weekend, the sermon directed us to look inward to find the tension we have with worship. Without rehashing the whole sermon, the inner tension we have with worship is probably related to the fact that we are created in God ?s image. Because we are made in the image of God, we sometimes confuse the worshipper with the One who should be worshipped.

For example, we walk into the Sunday morning worship gathering with preconceived notions about what worship should be like and what it should mean to us. When we leave, we comment about how good worship was, based upon what we liked about the time spent and about the feelings we have when we leave. While I don ?t want to negate those good feelings, perhaps they are misdirected. Shouldn ?t our good feelings be based upon the good things we brought before the One who is to be worshipped?

This internal tension becomes an “internal” struggle for the body of believers because we all have different understandings and expectations of worship. Our own internal tension is compounded by the internal tensions of the ones around us in the worship gathering.

The solution for our own internal tension is to give up our own self to God in our worship. Whatever it is that causes us to focus on ourselves in worship, we need to give it up selflessly and give God what he desires. Not only does that refocus our attention, but it redefines worship. With that kind of selfless attitude, worship isn ?t confined to an hour Sunday morning but to our whole lives.

By becoming “life slaves” to God, being completely, selflessly sold out to Jesus, we begin to reduce the tension in the body of believers as well. By giving up our own agendas and expectations for the worship gathering Sunday morning, we are bridging the gap within the body.

Even though I don ?t feel it, I am coming to grips with the reality that I ?m getting older. I ?m not ready to say that I ?m old, but now that the ?oldies ? radio stations are playing Billy Joel and Elton John, I can see that the culture may be passing me by. And that ?s OK.

The fact of the matter is that culture is always changing. Nobody recognizes that more than the church ?sometimes it seems like our right or duty as Christians to point that out every chance we can. Unfortunately, nobody fights it as much as the church. Despite our awareness of how quickly culture changes all around us, we are more likely to complain about it or insulate ourselves from it than to adapt to it.

Now before anyone worries about ?watering down ? the Gospel message or any of God ?s Truth found in his Word, consider the words of Jesus in John 16:33: ?In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. ? Jesus warned his disciples that they would face trouble; times were changing for them. But he wanted them to be encouraged by the fact that his victory was over culture as well.

Here ?s where it gets tough. God is who he is; that won ?t change. The Bible is what it is; that won ?t change. Our mission ?to love God and others and to make disciples ?will never change. Culture, however, will always change, and we can ?t do much about that. What we can do is adapt our methods to bridge the gap between Christ and culture. We need to rely on the strong foundations of our faith and the Bible and do whatever needs to be done to connect the lost people living in this changing culture to the One who never changes. While the seven last words of the church may be ?We never did it that way before, ? the scariest words may be ?I ?ve got an idea! ? Let us take Jesus at his word and not be afraid of the changes but trust him as we bridge the gap between Christ and culture.

Even though I don ?t feel it, I am coming to grips with the reality that I ?m getting older. I ?m not ready to say that I ?m old, but now that the “oldies” radio stations are playing Billy Joel and Elton John, I can see that the culture may be passing me by. And that ?s OK.

The fact of the matter is that culture is always changing. Nobody recognizes that more than the church ?sometimes it seems like our right or duty as Christians to point that out every chance we can. Unfortunately, nobody fights it as much as the church. Despite our awareness of how quickly culture changes all around us, we are more likely to complain about it or insulate ourselves from it than to adapt to it.

Now before anyone worries about “watering down” the Gospel message or any of God ?s Truth found in his Word, consider the words of Jesus in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus warned his disciples that they would face trouble; times were changing for them. But he wanted them to be encouraged by the fact that his victory was over culture as well.

Here ?s where it gets tough. God is who he is; that won ?t change. The Bible is what it is; that won ?t change. Our mission ?to love God and others and to make disciples ?will never change. Culture, however, will always change, and we can ?t do much about that. What we can do is adapt our methods to bridge the gap between Christ and culture. We need to rely on the strong foundations of our faith and the Bible and do whatever needs to be done to connect the lost people living in this changing culture to the One who never changes. While the seven last words of the church may be “We never did it that way before,” the scariest words may be “I ?ve got an idea!” Let us take Jesus at his word and not be afraid of the changes but trust him as we bridge the gap between Christ and culture.

The local church doesn ?t seem to have the same valued position in communities that it used to have. Because of scandals, the church isn ?t always viewed in a positive light. Because of changes in our culture ?acceptance of homosexuality, abortion, divorce, etc. ?the church is marginalized because of what we believe. And that has harmed the church ?s influence in our community.

Even when it comes to “simple” things like adding parking spaces or holding events outdoors on our property, it ?s more common for our neighbors to be irritated with us. When we try to bridge the gap between the church and the community, distributing invitations to Easter services or light bulbs or food, people look at us with wary eyes.

Sometimes the church deserves those wary looks. It reminds me of the position of Israel in 1 Samuel 17 as they were heckled into inactivity by Goliath. While the story of David ?s defeat of Goliath is the exciting part, the key for the church today is in verse 46 where he states that the victory over Goliath was meant so “the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” It seems that Israel believed they were God ?s chosen people because there was something special about them. The church seems to have adopted that same view, and now that the world sees that we are people just like them, they dismiss us. David ?s statement shows that Israel ?and, by extension, the church ?is made “special” because of God ?s presence.

Regardless of what people think of the church, we cannot let it stop our ministry of bridging the gap in the community. While we need to stand firm in our beliefs, we need to make sure that we do so in a way that shows that God is among us. As we increase our outreach, benevolence, and evangelistic efforts, we must lift the name of Jesus, not our own, so that he will be praised in our community.

On Sunday, March 11, the team that went to Louisiana in February gave their report. It was an eye-opening experience, seeing the devastation that remains in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region a year and a half after hurricane Katrina. It was a heart-breaking experience, hearing stories about lives that were lost and lives that have not yet recovered. But it was an encouraging experience, hearing the excitement and love of the team members sharing their stories. As I listened, it became clear that we are experiencing what God intends for the church.

That morning the sermon was about the title “Christ,” the Greek word for “Messiah” meaning “the anointed one.” Jesus is the anointed one, set apart by God for a specific purpose, to bridge the gap between sinful people and our perfect, holy God by offering his body as a sacrifice. We who wear that name, Christians, also have a purpose: to bridge the gap among people. And as the body of Christ, we must sacrifice in order to do that.

And that ?s what this body of believers has done to bridge the gap for the people of Slidell, Louisiana. People sacrificed their time, taking vacation days and giving up their daily routines. People sacrificed money, giving donations and paying for gas and meals on the trip. People sacrificed their pride, cleaning up trash and debris, working outside their knowledge and skills. People sacrificed their comfort, driving for 16 or more hours, sleeping on the floor. That ?s what we ?re supposed to do.

Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10: “We are God ?s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” He continued in verses 12 and 13: “Remember ? you were separate from Christ ?. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” God has bridged the gap to us through Jesus so that we will also bridge the gaps among people through what we do as the body of Christ, beyond Bible lessons and sermons, with deeds of love and compassion. Let ?s keep this body working!

Now that the team from Louisiana is back, I ?ve heard several stories about how they were able to help IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service) help the victims of hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes and lives. At first I had a minor concern about the team being anywhere near New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but now I consider it one of those “God things.”

Mardi Gras is the beginning of the Lenten season among the Catholic and other liturgical churches. This is the season of preparation for Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. I like the coincidence of Mardi Gras and the team ?s trip to Louisiana because Jesus ? resurrection is the beginning of the ultimate rebuilding project. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, 18: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ.”

From the beginning of time, God has desired to have a relationship with the people he created. Even after that relationship was first broken by Adam and Eve, he desired to have a relationship. That ?s why, from immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, God had a plan to bridge the gap between people and himself. From the beginning, God had in mind a path that would allow sinful people to be forgiven and to come back to a full relationship with God. The bridge that spans the gap between God and people is his son Jesus. God put that bridge in place, and it is his plan to offer grace, reconciliation, and rebuilding.

We have a part in that effort as well. Paul ends verse 18 stating that God “gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” Our church, then, needs to become a place where people can find that bridge. Let ?s consider the ways that we can show our families, our workplaces, our communities the bridge God has provided. Watch for opportunities to help people find God so that he can rebuild their lives.