Greg Boyd opens our new series “Better Together” with a sermon on the biblical call to participate as a member of God’s family. Because the patterns of modern culture divide us, it’s a challenge to shift from an isolated “me” to a collective “we,” but God connects us so that we might live in love alongside one another.
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The “Me” and the “We”
• Greg Boyd
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In this sermon, Greg Boyd speaks to the importance of being a part of God’s family. This is the first sermon in the new “Better Together” series. Sharing life with others as a part of God’s family is a challenge in our modern world. We live in a highly individualized, consumer culture where we are conditioned to view everything as transactional. We are always asking, “What’s in it for me?” As a result, we’re conditioned to see “church” as a group of individuals who come together once a week to consume religious goods and services. This means that attendees are basically customers.
If a church buys into this individualistic, consumeristic model, their goal will be to attract and keep as many “customers” as possible. However, the New Testament clearly demonstrates that the gospel is always challenging, often offensive and even controversial. Nothing could be more offensive, counter-cultural and controversial than preaching about a Messiah who got himself crucified out of love and who calls us to take up our cross and follow his example. The Church is called and empowered to be a counter-cultural witness to the reign of God.
With this in mind, Greg points us to Paul’s teaching on the church from Ephesians 4. We are told to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). This is about shared fellowship as the family of God. And God gives leaders to equip his people to live out this shared fellowship. He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip his people for works of service. We are all called to share our gifts, time and resources. The call of church leaders is to serve by equipping the family members to carry out this call. This means that the church in our individualistic culture is transforming us from an isolated “Me” to a collective “We.”
We are bound together. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:14-15 that we are called to speak the truth in love so that the whole body will mature. This occurs as each part is joined together by every supporting ligament. Each of us is a “supporting ligament” — one who is connected to others in love so that the body can share the love of God. At the most basic level, this entails the extension of hospitality to one another, making room for conversation and connecting. This stands against the flow of the culture, but it is the way of God’s Kingdom.
Hide Extended SummaryTopics: Community, Family, Individualism
Sermon Series: Wholehearted, Better Together
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The MuseCast: April 14
Focus Scripture:
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Ephesians 4:11-13
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
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