Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:05] It's Pastor Chuck Allen, back again with another weekday podcast. And today I got something on my heart, and that is the church as a living movement rather than a building or place you go to or just something you kind of do every now and then. Listen to how Paul puts it. In Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 15, he says, Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
[00:00:35] Paul's not dreaming of a crowd of isolated heroes trying to get holy. He's picturing us doing several things together.
[00:00:45] Growing up in Christ as an organism, not a showcase of perfect people or folks who think they are on a showcase, trying to play perfect people, speaking the truth in love. That's courage. That's saying, I see the mess and the glory in you and I want you to win.
[00:01:06] You ever try learning a golf swing from a book? I mean, you can, but sooner or later you need a friend or coach to notice what's off to offer a candid hey, let's try that again. This way.
[00:01:18] Growth happens best in community.
[00:01:21] I mean, your mulligan.
[00:01:24] Maybe it's greater patience or encouragement. It comes alive when you invite people into your story.
[00:01:30] Letting somebody celebrate your win, calling out your blind spot, or cheering you through a mulligan, that's growth.
[00:01:39] If you rewind to the first century church, before there were programs and parking teams and worship bands, just homes and bread and courage, like in Acts, chapter 2, beginning in verse 44, where the new living says all the believers met together and shared everything they had radically generosity, generously. And they met need after need after need. And you know why? It's because as they met together, they shared life, not just everything. This isn't a picture of socialism. This is a picture of just radical generosity. It was about a heart. It wasn't about a to do list.
[00:02:18] If you rewind and look at the first century church, I'm pretty sure that even this wonderful church that we're a part of at Sugar Hill, I mean, this is not what Jesus saw.
[00:02:28] He saw us doing life together, encouraging one another in an interdependent relationship.
[00:02:34] What if we live like that today, Sharing our time, our attention, our resources, where nobody's left out, no one's alone.
[00:02:42] Imagine working on a puzzle. I'm not a big puzzle guy, but imagine working on a puzzle by yourself. You finish the edges, you're kind of nailing it up in the middle. And just as you approach the finish, there's one stinking piece that's missing, the picture isn't whole. But what if a friend finds that missing piece or sees what you can't?
[00:03:05] That's church.
[00:03:06] Everyone brings their own self and their peace of something that's bigger. It's kind of like, what is my part of our job? You finish the edges, you nail the middle.
[00:03:19] What if something's missing? What if it's you?
[00:03:23] I mean, growth and breakthrough happen when every part does its work. Sometimes you hold the peace that they need and sometimes they're holding what you need. Sometimes we literally just need people to be with us and make us better.
[00:03:40] We need people to help encourage us, correct us, love us, be there when things fall apart. That's the church who needs your puzzle piece. And by the way, who's missing from the picture?
[00:03:53] Let's go beyond Sunday.
[00:03:55] Let's create homes and tables and circles where nobody falls through the cracks. Go ahead and be that piece of the puzzle that's missing and invite somebody in to your space. And by the way, be willing to let others step into yours in such a way that you genuinely are like a first century church leader that's just loving Jesus, not being a jerk and just helping other people along their journey while they're helping you.
[00:04:23] Wow, that seems like a radical way to do church, doesn't it? God bless you, friend. Thanks so much for joining me for today's Word weekday podcast.
