Introduction: My uncle was a godly man. Born shortly after the turn
of the century, he spent his entire life as a pastor and
administrator in the Salvation Army Church. One day I asked him what
change he saw in the Christian community over the years. He told me
that television had replaced the church as the center of community.
Before the advent of television, churches (and, I assume, bars) were
the focus of social interaction. Now, he said, people stay at home
and enjoy community through television. If he were alive today, I
suppose he would name the Internet and cell phones as the community
of the next generation. What plan does God have for community? What
is His goal for those who follow Him? Is technology a help or a
hindrance? Will the church make a comeback? Let’s plunge into our
study and find out what the Bible has to say about community!
- Holy Nation
- Read 1 Peter 2:4-5. Who is the “Living Stone?” (Peter is
talking about Jesus.) - Is Peter describing a community of some sort? (Yes.)
- What are the building blocks of the community?
(We are! We are “living stones.”) - What is the goal of our community? (We are
priests. The priests represented God to the
people.) - The text says we are offering “spiritual
sacrifices.” What does it mean that we
are some sort of priest offering some sort
of sacrifice? (I think it means we are
accepting Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf
for our sins, and we are telling others
about it.) - Read 1 Peter 2:6. What is the relationship between the
Living Stone and “living stones?” (Jesus, the Living
Stone, is the cornerstone of the building made up of us
living stones. Jesus aligns us. He orders our lives. If we
trust His way, we will never be put to shame.) - Read John 14:6. What other role does Jesus play in
community? (Jesus is not only the “Cornerstone” of
our community, He is the “Door” to community. Our
community is centered on Jesus.) - Does technology create any obvious problems to this
community? (It does not have to. Technology aids
communication. Thus if us “living stones” are being built
together to rely on Jesus, better communication should
help with a better build.) - Could technology be a problem? (Yes. If it caused us
to build on something other than the Living Stone. It
gives us a level of privacy in community that limits
accountability.) - Most Internet browsers have a “history” section. Ask
yourself if you would like your community to be sent
instant updates on your browser history? - Read 1 Peter 2:7-8. Can the Living Stone be a problem? (It
is not helpful to those who want to disobey Jesus. It
causes them to stumble and fall.) - Why? ( Romans 9:30-33 discusses this. Those who pursue
righteousness through works cannot accept the
righteousness by faith Jesus offers. We are a
community built on faith.) - Read 1 Peter 2:9. What is the purpose of our community
built on Jesus? - Why are we called “chosen people?” Isn’t this a
description of the Jewish people? (They were to
represent God to the world. But, they failed to reach
God’s goal for them. Today, the church represents God
to the world.) - Who are we praising? (Jesus – the one who called us
out of darkness into light. The purpose of our
community is to shed light on God’s offer of mercy to
the world.) - Read 1 Peter 2:11. What kind of attitude should be present
in members of Jesus’ community? (We are to abstain from
sinful desires. We are to consider ourselves “aliens and
strangers in the world.”) - Why? (Sinful desires war against our souls.)
- Think back about your browser history. Think back
about your last gossip. How can you control your
desires? - How important a factor is community to right living? We
all know of Christians who “fell off the wagon” when it
comes to right living. It did not protect them. (Christian
community is certainly no guarantee, but it helps with
right living.) - I think about the influence of community when I was a
child. Johnson’s Newsstand was where my dad, a
prominent member of the community, stopped to pick up
his newspaper every night. It was also the only
local place I knew of which sold magazines with
pictures of naked women. The odds of my father
buying one of those magazines in front of his
“community” was about the same as my father taking
off his own clothes in that shop! - Read 1 Peter 2:12. Community is supposed to not just help
the members, but also be a witness to the pagans. Will
the pagans admit having a favorable impression of the
Christian community? (No. They accuse us of doing wrong.) - Community Support
- Read James 1:27. James is a writer who emphasizes the
works of a Christian. (Sometimes I think that James and
Paul should have collaborated on a book of the Bible.)
What does James see as being the first obligation of a
Christian Community? (Widows and orphans.) - Read 1 Timothy 5:3-4. What community do we have within the
larger Christian community? (The family – even the
extended family.) - Read 1 Timothy 5:7-8. Why would a person be worse
than an unbeliever if he did not help his family? (If
you do not love and help those who have the greatest
claim to your affection, how can you love and help
those you do not know? Consider 1 John 4:20-21.) - Read 1 Timothy 5:9-10. The commentators vary on what is
meant by “the list of widows.” Some think these are
church employees. To help you decide, read Acts 6:1 and 1
Timothy 5:16. What do you think? - After the believers discussed in Acts 6 got properly
organized, how do you think they knew where to
distribute the food? (They had a list! I think “the
list of widows” in 1 Timothy 5:9 are those widows
being supported by the church. Any doubt in my mind
is erased when I read 1 Timothy 5:16.) - Look again at 1 Timothy 5:9-10. What does this teach us
about the importance of community in deciding who to
assist? - What does the work of the “worthy” widow teach us
about community? (It is a mutual assistance group to
some degree.) - Is this just widow’s work? (This is work for all
of us. This is part of being community.) - Read 1 Timothy 5:11-14. Should we help everyone who asks
for help – everyone who wants to be put on the support
“list?”(Paul teaches that we should not encourage people
to be idle and thus get into trouble.) - Is this a rule that we should apply to all who ask
for our aid? - Read Luke 6:30-31. How do you understand this
text? - How should we decide who to help?
- Twice now, in the last three weeks, I have been in a
popular suburban shopping area and had able-bodied men ask
me to give them money. I could give them money without
harming my budget. What do you think I should have done?
(Recall last week that we read ( Matthew 25:34-36) that the
righteous gave physical help (food, clothes) and not money
to those in need? This week we see Paul saying help those
who merit it, and do not encourage idleness. The common
thread seems to require us to have some knowledge about
the needs of the person asking for help. It is easier to
just give money, but the ideal solution is to have better
information about the individual.) - After having come to this reasonable conclusion, read
Jesus’ words in Luke 6:35-36. Jesus says to be kind
to others – even the ungrateful and the wicked! Does
this mean we should help lazy bums? (Apparently, to
some degree.) - If key ingredients to community are to help those in need
and to know who should be helped, what impact does
television and other technology have on this work?
(Without meeting with other members of our church
community outside of formal worship, we will have no idea
about their needs or how best to help. It seems technology
is a barrier to that.) - How would you suggest that we “fix” this? (The best
solution is to have the church community meet
together in small groups for Bible study, and other
activity. That helps us to know each other.) - Is there a technological version of this?
(Facebook? What about a Bible study using
Skype?) - Friend, are you in “community” with other Christians? If
not, why not join a group of believers today? It is God’s
will for your life. - Next week: Mission.
