As we continue to try and define and foster community on a larger scale as a church and on a smaller scale in our groups, I thought it was fitting to look at the teaching we get from Ecclesiastes 4:4-16 on the subject of community. The text breaks it down for us pointing out what things cause a breakdown in community and then finishes with showing us the benefits or need for community. I have broken down the verses for you. Share them with your groups or use them to hopefully generate some discussion on the topic. Hopefully we all see the need and the power of biblical community in our groups and in the church. I think it is our job as leaders to model and teach it. When it comes down to it, true community is the practical expression of the gospel. Just think what light and power true community could have in our people's and communities lives.
What gets in the way of community?
Verse 4 – Envy and Jealousy
How does envy and jealousy get in the way of community? If we are constantly jealous of those who have we can fill our time working to get the money to keep up or even worse we can choose to not want to be in community with people because we are jealous of them.
Verse 5 – Laziness
How does laziness hamper community? Community takes work and being with people. You have to get off the couch, make an effort, invite people over, etc.
Verse 6 – Discontentment
The text is telling us to have balance in our work. To make sure we balance work with Sabbath. How many of us on the weekends take time to sit and rest or hang out with others to rest, encourage, and talk about what God is doing in our lives?
Verse 7-8 – Greed and Over-work
We all want more money, but you have to work more to get more, but why? To buy more things? To impress people we don’t like. True community is based on being in relationship with people who know your story. Then grace happens and we can experience love for who we are not for our stuff. If friendships take time and to you time is money you are in for a long road of loneliness.
Verse 13 – 16 – Blaming others for our isolation and sin
What happens is people become unhappy with their predicament in life and instead of owning up to it themselves, they seek to blame others.
We also go looking for that new person, with new ideas, who will help us get out of the predicament. But what happens eventually? Eventually we will be confronted again with our stuff and then what? We will start blaming the new guy for our issues. We still find out that problems that are internal can not be taken care of by someone else. We need to understand that the problem is sin and the problem lies in our heart not in the faults of others.
What are the benefits of community?
Verse 9 – Effectiveness
Two are better than one. Community and relationships brings out the best in us. We were created to be in relationship.
Verse 10 – Help
Self-explanatory but do we think about our community as being our help? Do we make every opportunity within our means to meet a need if we see it?
Verse 11 – Companionship
We are to keep each other “warm”. We all have a deep-longing for companionship and to be known.
Verse 12 – Protection
We are to watch out for each other, to look out for each other. Do we see this as our responsibility for the members in our group?
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Welcome Back
I thought it was time to dust the blog off and give it another shot. I am trying to find the best methods of communicating and I think with a little help this forum might be a good tool for us. So please give it a shot once a week and let me know if I am slacking in the support.
With that being said, I decided to forgoe the monthly leaders meeting this month in lieu of meeting with you as families over dinner. We have been able to hang with the Goodman's and the Stitt's so far and are trying to get the rest of you on the calendar. The premise of the meetings is to see how you guys are doing, I also have another bag of coffee for you, and find out how I can encourage you in your role as group leaders. So the question goes something like this, "What does encouragement look like to you as a community group leader?" and the second question is "How do you feel apart of the greater work of our local body, Seaside?". I think we need to let each other know what encouragement looks like so we can actually encourage each other. If you need prayer for something, if you need study aids, if you need a weekly check-up that is how I want to spend my time. I figure if I can encourage the community group leaders and families then they can encourage and shepherd the people in their group, then their people can lead and encourage their families and neighbors. Are you seeing the math work here? The second part is that I want to encourage you with seeing how you and your family are feeling connected to the greater work here at Seaside. Our groups are little communities, but we are trying to bring everyone together into the bigger community, the local church and in doing so bring everyone together to the even bigger community, the body of Christ. Be thinking this week how you are feeling connected, how you are expressing that connectedness to the people in your group, and then think about what is keeping you from feeling connected.
Lastly, the vision for the groups is that they would be a place where dialog is happening, community is happening, and most importantly where people are being known, supported, and encouraged to live the christian life. That being said, as community starts to happen and dialog starts to happen, let's remember to see yourself as the shepherd of the people in your group. So as time goes on, try and see yourself as less of a discussion facilitator and more of a pastor to the people. Get to know the people in your group and be an encourager to them. Rally the group around being about the community in your group and then the community outside your doors. That being said, I am going to encourage you to start to try and delegate the facilitator role as you see fit. If our goal is to build people up, then we need to give people the opportunity to study and lead the group in discussion. This practice will help everyone be a much better pastor of our own families that we are all called to be. Obviously, know your group and use wisdom and coaching where needed.
Thanks again for doing what you are doing. I know we all live lives that are full of a lot but know that fruit is coming from these groups and I see them as a pillar of our core values at Seaside: Family, community, training, and God. We hit them all in community groups right?
I am also interested in how your groups have been processing Ecclesiastes. What a great story of the secular and christian/biblical worldview colliding. I am thankful that Solomon has done so much of the work for me so I don't have to waste my time experiencing the heartache. Last week we asked the simple question how are your processing Ecclesiastes. A simple question, but is generated a lot of conversation. One thing to be careful with is make sure you are looking at the verses carefully in context of what he is trying to say. He is contrasting everything in light of Ch. 12 where he basically says that apart from God it will be like I have described it. I point this out because someone could easily misread the text and choose one of the verses as their life verse: 2:24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. Now in context he is talking about the man without God, the unrighteous man, but taken out of context can you see where people could take it? Just a heads up.
Eric
With that being said, I decided to forgoe the monthly leaders meeting this month in lieu of meeting with you as families over dinner. We have been able to hang with the Goodman's and the Stitt's so far and are trying to get the rest of you on the calendar. The premise of the meetings is to see how you guys are doing, I also have another bag of coffee for you, and find out how I can encourage you in your role as group leaders. So the question goes something like this, "What does encouragement look like to you as a community group leader?" and the second question is "How do you feel apart of the greater work of our local body, Seaside?". I think we need to let each other know what encouragement looks like so we can actually encourage each other. If you need prayer for something, if you need study aids, if you need a weekly check-up that is how I want to spend my time. I figure if I can encourage the community group leaders and families then they can encourage and shepherd the people in their group, then their people can lead and encourage their families and neighbors. Are you seeing the math work here? The second part is that I want to encourage you with seeing how you and your family are feeling connected to the greater work here at Seaside. Our groups are little communities, but we are trying to bring everyone together into the bigger community, the local church and in doing so bring everyone together to the even bigger community, the body of Christ. Be thinking this week how you are feeling connected, how you are expressing that connectedness to the people in your group, and then think about what is keeping you from feeling connected.
Lastly, the vision for the groups is that they would be a place where dialog is happening, community is happening, and most importantly where people are being known, supported, and encouraged to live the christian life. That being said, as community starts to happen and dialog starts to happen, let's remember to see yourself as the shepherd of the people in your group. So as time goes on, try and see yourself as less of a discussion facilitator and more of a pastor to the people. Get to know the people in your group and be an encourager to them. Rally the group around being about the community in your group and then the community outside your doors. That being said, I am going to encourage you to start to try and delegate the facilitator role as you see fit. If our goal is to build people up, then we need to give people the opportunity to study and lead the group in discussion. This practice will help everyone be a much better pastor of our own families that we are all called to be. Obviously, know your group and use wisdom and coaching where needed.
Thanks again for doing what you are doing. I know we all live lives that are full of a lot but know that fruit is coming from these groups and I see them as a pillar of our core values at Seaside: Family, community, training, and God. We hit them all in community groups right?
I am also interested in how your groups have been processing Ecclesiastes. What a great story of the secular and christian/biblical worldview colliding. I am thankful that Solomon has done so much of the work for me so I don't have to waste my time experiencing the heartache. Last week we asked the simple question how are your processing Ecclesiastes. A simple question, but is generated a lot of conversation. One thing to be careful with is make sure you are looking at the verses carefully in context of what he is trying to say. He is contrasting everything in light of Ch. 12 where he basically says that apart from God it will be like I have described it. I point this out because someone could easily misread the text and choose one of the verses as their life verse: 2:24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. Now in context he is talking about the man without God, the unrighteous man, but taken out of context can you see where people could take it? Just a heads up.
Eric
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