Church Culture

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0:00 God giving great, great, to a group of people who introduce them in order to start the church. They hold everything in common. This is great summer camp. But they didn't know that they didn't get to forgot about the rest of life. They sold their property. They just evolved on a stinger together. It's a beautiful, inaugural moment that cannot, and is not sustained in the church. But it's a glimpse, maybe, of where we're held. Shared economy. No one is with, no one is without.

0:34 There is equal justice and prosperity among the whole group of people. Right? Christ is recognizing the authority in all things. Miracles break out. There seems in that first couple chapters of Acts in the church, where the shadow of Peter is healing people. Because the authority of God is so interested in breaking out the reign of God, or giving us a glimpse of what it will look like forever, that he undestiffness is the way he is represented.

1:07 All you would have at one point, raise someone back to life, Peter as well. Where God is showing the reign of God is possible to break into the world. Show people what we're headed for, but it's not sustainable. And what I want to look at now, this week, is where that breaks down, begins to break down. It's already in chapter eight. Right at the end of chapter seven. In chapter seven of Acts, the church elects a few leaders,

1:42 the 11 apostles that they have, the pacifist, who do people into the election war. And the folks, the church leaders, the way of Jesus, the leaders of the Jewish church at the temple, get mad at Steve and another guy who's preaching the reign of Jesus, and they erupt and they end up soon. After the beautiful sermon of Acts chapter seven. And the stoning of Stephen is the first martyr of the new era of the church.

2:13 And it sets off a persecution where the church, the Jewish church, is persecuting the followers of the way of Jesus. And in verse chapter eight, verse one, where we want to look at Acts. And then we want to look at the verses of the verse. And then we want to look at the verses of the verse.

2:48 And then we want to look at the verses of the verse. And then we want to look at the verses of the verse. And then we want to look at the verses of the verse. And then we want to look at the verses of the verse. And then we want to look at the verses of the verse. And then we want to look at the verses of the verse. And then we want to look at the verses of the verse.

3:22 And then we want to look at the verses of the verse. Remember that Stephen is some, the biggest problem that they have with Stephen is he says that Jesus was the anointed redeeming King that you all killed. The biggest problem they have with Stephen is that Jesus is announcing that Jesus is the supreme authority. It's the idea that Jesus would be the King of all kings, the one who set culture, authority, power.

3:57 The idea that Jesus would be the one that does this, not the leaders of the church, not the leaders of Rome. This is what gets the followers of Jesus in trouble. When the church in Jerusalem and eventually with the Roman authority continually over and over again in the first generation of the church, the followers of Jesus assert and live in keeping with the assertion that Jesus is there to bring authority. That Jesus is the one they submit to over and against any other authority in Rome.

4:32 Jesus sets notions of power, justice, love, beauty, and service of the mercy. Jesus sets and determines the culture that we live in. And so then the church, whether it's puddled together at great summer camp after Pentecost or spread out throughout Judea and Samaria by the nature of the persecution, or gathered eventually under Christians in Rome, the church is always intended to be the people in the world who are called out by Jesus to live together under his reign and authority.

5:10 So that some years ago as I began to think about what does it look like for the church to be embodied and live in on land now and be dedicated to the people who live under Jesus and still with itself the culture of the Roman God. And then in bearing that culture with them, they moved it to the kingdom and buried that culture with them.

5:40 I want you to think about it, right? The people of Jesus, at the stone of Stephen, it says are spread throughout. So Philip goes down into Samaria, all those up into Antioch and over out into Asia, and the church slowly grows and interacts with North Africa, right? It looks like toxic Christianity. It interacts in the east with going, pushing into the Middle East and becomes Orthodoxy and Eastern Orthodoxy.

6:12 It interacts with Rome and becomes Catholicism and then interacts with the Enlightenment and becomes Protestantism. And then it interacts with American kind of individualism and manifest destiny and becomes evangelical Christianity, right? The church, the way of Jesus, is always interacting with the cultures and taking pieces of the culture that it interacts with. But I want to say that it ought not to lose its essential culture, not determined by the rule and reign of Jesus.

6:47 I remember, I think it was maybe like in fourth grade, we learned about the history of Florida, and then we learned about Native American consciousness, the middle of the Indian. And then we went down to learn about the aspects of the Mexico and the middle of America. I don't know why, but I always thought the aspects were super cool. Like I know they were kind of barbarian and they had human self-defense.

7:19 So that's not great. Every culture has its problem. But they figured out how to live in this environment, like the cultures and the buildings they view, they don't remember as a fourth grade or going. What would have happened if we did steal all the aspects of European consciousness? And then I started learning about the prairie Native American. And I realized, looked at the way that European brothers took everything from them and then kept taking things from them.

7:55 And I began to wonder, what would it look like if we had been able to marry the bastards of European cultures with the vast of Native American politicians? How would our economy be treated? How would our power structure be different? How would our commerce be different? How would our beauty and art be different? The rest of the church takes the essential quality of the culture that flourishes under the reign of Jesus,

8:35 and it uses that culture to inform the culture in which it doesn't lose its essential identity. Instead, it transforms, it creates some new identity in this place where it is consistent with the DNA of this acts to church, this first generation of the church. And so, as I have thought about over the last 10 years that we've lived in Orlando, we do want to be in the city of Orlando.

9:05 I've been consistently felt like I want to be someone who carries the culture and ethic of the reign of God and inner energy, that culture and ethic. That's what I want to be. And I want to walk through a little bit to remind you that this is the great opportunity, I would say the job of the church, or even really the command of the church. This is the great opportunity of the church that because Christ died, rose, ascended to this pastoral spirit, you and I have the capacity to live under the reign of Christ now.

9:47 All was excited because that is characterized personally, the inner person by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, food, patience, that's what we call the more broad-living that we can be together, can create a culture that looks like, that is like through a mere, then we need a representation of the culture that will exist forever in the new heaven and more of the times. We can begin to go back to it. And there are fundamental qualities of it. That means that the reign of God has a notion of economy and money.

10:24 The church has a culture, a notion of its economy has a sense of justice. It has a perspective on work, it has a perspective on beauty. The reign of God, the culture is created by the notion of economy, work, justice, beauty. And I want to look a little bit today at the culture in the reign of God around the world.

10:58 Let's look at this text in the first Timothy chapter 6. You can find it. First Timothy chapter 6, if you're in Acts and they have a paper copy, go to the right, just a little bit, ask the Corinthians in the first line. You can get to the Hebrew to go to the Bible back in the last verse, Timothy chapter 6.

11:28 Remember what's happening in this letter? All has dispatched Timothy to go back and ask our church that he started a while ago. Timothy is young. And so these are called the pastoral letters, post Timothy and Timothy and Titus. And the pastoral letters, post Paul is writing Timothy encouraging him on how he ought to pass to the people. He ought to lead the congregation of the Hebrews where he is.

12:01 And if you go to 1 Timothy chapter 6, Paul says a lot of really good things. But for us, trying to mind what does the reign of God say about money, how does the culture of the kingdom of God do money? There's some good points in here. Let's look at verse 6 of chapter 6. He says, now there is great gain in Godliness with the contentment.

12:33 Well, we brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, this is the thing that we will be contented. This is the basis for money, for the view of money in the culture of the reign of God, maintain the sense of perspective of where we come from and where we're going. And then he says verse 8.

13:04 But if we have food and clothes over his life, but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction, where the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that someone has wandered away through his faith and pierced himself with many pain. The problem is, once you get money, you can get all sorts of things, right? And what's distinctive here that false health, Timothy, is the love of money in terms of all people.

13:37 Money is a mutual life. It's just the way it's changed. But when money becomes a pursuit in its own, that comes and comes and comes. In Paul's encouraging Timothy to cultivate a group of people who have the sense about themselves, that money is to be treated carefully. And to train their eyes on the action of goals, remember that you came to this world with nothing and you can take nothing with you.

14:08 Okay, and then we go further. Go down to verse 17 of Christ Timothy chapter 6. As for the richness present aims, see, we talked about how in this first, in the summer camp, in that very beginning where God gives this great, great, to start something that in less than 300 years will take over the whole world.

14:43 God is interested that all humanity finds their way under and into authority. He's been under the authority of God as we're like this. And so as he's launching the church into the world, that reclaim his name and identity that's been sold and by his re-old, the generations of misused enemies, he launches his name through the church and empowered by the spirit for the first time. He gives this great, great. And this great, great, to be very beginning in that first generation, right there when they're in Jerusalem,

15:16 breaking out in all kinds of ways so that God's rule in authority is not stopped by death or the deed, and they're able to hold all their things in common, and there is not a needy one among them. They sell all their stuff and give each other and hold it together. And what we said is that that falls apart pretty quickly, even fast, from what I want you to see, even in all lifetimes. This is probably 68 years, maybe 30 years after the ascension of Jesus, he's saying there will be rich in the world.

15:47 And God willing, there will be rich ones in your midst among the people of God in the congregations of the dead. There will be wealthy people. He says the love of money is bad. He does not say money is bad. He's saying that in the under the ring of God, we understand where we come from and where we're grown. We can use money, but we're treated carefully because we know that down the road of money is all sorts of people.

16:20 This is important for us in times like this, right, when money can be a state of refuge, in times of confusion. When the lack of money can be a cause of great restoration and fear. We can view money and it will end itself. But then in verse 17, verse 6 verse 17, as for the rich at its present age, charge them not to be home, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches.

16:50 Not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches. You can lose money, I'll see you in my eyes, see you show that they're watching and they're really wealthy and they're not going to want to come to me. Money is uncertain. Don't pin your hopes, players, to put your futures on it. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be body-lores if they're hosting uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with all the things you want.

17:23 They're just good. And to be rich in good works to be generous and ready to share. Thus, storing up treasures for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take full of that and to stream life. When I was a kid, my parents started early giving us offerings. They probably read how they're not giving us offerings, giving us allowance at least.

17:53 My mom was doing everything very intentionally, and so when she gave us $2 a week for allowance, she would actually give us $2 an hour. Now it's like, if we have allowance and we've got to give them $5 a week, it's too hard to find $5 to pass. You end up waiting and giving it to a monthly or something that you have to buy. My mom was $2 early, $2 bill. And then we hired to buy that $2 into 10% the office, $10% of $2.

18:27 Each week we were in $2. And then for savings and long-term savings, then when we were kids, they taught us how they helped us. We had a little business together with a vending machine and things that you'd be working on before and take the 10% And so that, even through college, every time I made money, it just became my habit. Whenever church hours went to, that's where 10% of whatever money I was bringing in just went to that church because I had been doing it with 20 cents.

19:01 What was it with the $200 that I didn't make for this money in college? Just give me a point of view. There's something about the people of God who have the capacity to choose generosity because their provision is not dependent on the money that they can make. They are governed by a higher authority, a king, a good team who makes sure that the people, there is a culture amongst the reign of God that it is safe to be generous.

19:43 That according our stuff leads our hearts down dangerous paths. That it is not good for us to rule. We leave the world empty and the money is dangerous and leads us to long-hearted days. There is a cult of people of God throughout time and in every culture have been the generous ones still today.

20:19 The people of God are the generous ones. And it's not out of compulsion or guilt. It's out of recognition that we have to be. There's one more place I want to look at. This Paul doesn't again. It's in the second printing. You want to look for the last little bit. The second printing chapter eight, he does the same thing.

20:53 He actually gets explicit about picking generosity. We want you to know brothers about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia. We're in a severe test of a question. Their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty has overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. Their extreme poverty has overflowed in a wealth of generosity.

21:25 That's a beautiful sentence. For they gave according to their means as I can testify and beyond their means of their own pre-will, for the favor of taking part in the belief in the saints. And this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to the Lord God and to us. Accordingly, we urge that you started so she could plead among you in grace that you'd sell in every faith in speech and knowledge and all greatness and in your love, so that you'd sell also in this grace, the grace of generosity.

21:56 What I want to say is that if your heart is not in the place of generosity, if you find generosity difficult, that's okay. The knowing the culture of the reign of God can be aspirational for our power. I'm just going to put this out so that as you all know, we can be these people. We can be these people who live in graciousness.

22:27 We can be these people who give for you the support of God, who give to the church, and if your heart is not there, it's a standard even good for you to ask the Lord, who has made me as your next. I want to say that this is a standard. I want to say that this is a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard.

22:57 It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. It's a standard. The comfort of that permission work was built up in us as a capacity because we don't need to fall apart. Protect us from the dangers of the world or breathe, even as the dangers of a lot of the money.

23:34 But wisdom and our youth and the strength andour money around, and the strength and the strength of the world. I wanted to pray one more prayer together. It's kind of just so hard for you. I have an outer put up on the website for us on the lyrics page. I'll give you a minute to find it. If you go to the cross, we'll end up at four slash lyrics.

24:09 I'm disheartened by the visible struggle. Our culture is in, it's released in the 40s. I'm encouraged that we're having a national conversation. I'm hopeful that it gets us somewhere. And for that, I am praying. I'm sure you all are. But I wanted to pray together that we would be able to move forward.

24:40 That God would move us forward individually and then quickly. And I feel like this little romantic energy that got written in the wake of the Ferguson tragedy a couple of years ago is helpful to that. So I hope you're there. I'll read those data part and then if you guys feel free to read the people part at home, you can reach out to the party. Okay, let us pray. The God of love opens our eyes to see the suffering of all our systems and problems.

25:16 We pray today. The God of justice opens our ears to hear those who cry out. We pray together. The God of healing opens our hearts to acknowledge and share our own pain. In the power of the Spirit, we will know the truth. I was praying. Oh God, you created us all in your hands.

25:47 We are all in your hands. We are all in your hands. We are all in your hands. We are all in your hands. We are all in your hands. We are all in your hands. We are all in your hands. We are all in your hands. We are all in your hands. We are all in your hands. We drafted the permission to live in freedom you offer.

26:17 By your compassion, grant us what you need. The courage necessary to love, hope, the vulnerability necessary to trust, the submission necessary to heal, the conviction necessary to protect, and belong to you. Let's confess our sins before the Lord and respond together by saying, forgive us the Lord. For the times that we have been too consumed by our own pain,

26:47 or to be distracted by the tap of life to see and respond to the death of those who hold dear, forgive us. For the times our own hearts desire to hate those who cause us pain. Forgive us the Lord. For when we have not welcomed you in our suffering and disappointment so that we might begin to give us. For the ways we have caused you and others pain, for our own sin will give us your peace be with us.

27:24 Grant God of love your creation, grant God of love your creation beats. See the pain and injustice perforp the freedom of your children. It's the Holy Spirit who also convict God's girls of judge and ours to love. We release the resentment and bitterness we hold towards people who have hurt us,

27:55 people like us and our friends. I'd like to thank the Lord for coming. I'd like to thank the Lord for this. I'd like to thank the Lord for coming.