Rock Springs Family Values: Mutual Inclusivity

“We need you.” “We could use you.” I remember the first time I heard those words.   I was a new student and just moving into my room on the third floor of the men’s dorm at Western Baptist College and I didn’t know anyone. Then I met Chuck. He was wearing his soccer gear and was getting ready for practice. He asked me if I played soccer. I said, “Yes, I played the last two years for Boones Treasury, a club team in Salem.” Then I heard those life giving words, “Well, come out and join us, we could use you.” That was an invitation I couldn’t refuse. So I went out for the team and made it. Most of that first year I spent on the sidelines. But I worked hard and practiced hard – especially kicking with my left foot. So by the second year I won the starting role at left wing. Now Chuck’s words rang true. Not only was I needed, but now I truly belonged.

“We need you, we could use you” are life giving words. Has anyone ever said them to you? Hopefully so. But the sad reality is that the reverse is often true. We hear life-killing words like, “I don’t need your help.” or “We can get along fine without you.” Or these words, “Sorry, you’re not qualified” or “Sorry, you are not what we are looking for.” Or if you’ve been cut from a team, “Sorry, your not good enough.” Or if you ever watched “American Idol”, “So you Think You Can Dance” or “America’s Got Talent” you’ve probably identified with those who are constantly being told, “You don’t have what it takes!”

That’s why what we’re going to look at in God’s Word this morning should come as good news. For when Jesus called you to follow him, he didn’t just give you a get out of jail free card. No the moment you put your trust in Jesus, he connected you, joined you with every other believer in what the Bible calls His Body – the Church. But he didn’t just connect you with His body to be an observer. He didn’t just adopt you into His family so you can kick back and rest in His goodness and grace until he returns. No, when Jesus connected you to His body, he gave you an indispensible part to play.

In other words, once you become a part of God’s family, you instantly became needed! You became part of something that runs counter cultural to our world. You became part of a community where fulfilling your role is critical to the health and life of God’s Family. None of us has all that it takes to do this on our own. I need what you bring to the table. I need your love and acceptance; your talents and gifts; your wisdom and encouragement; your patience and prayers – and you need mine! But not just mine – You need what others have to give you and they need what you have to give them. We can’t be the Church without each other. And the name for this Value that God specifically designed to embody His people is this: Mutual Interdependence. There are no lone rangers in God’s family. WE NEED EACH OTHER! So, if you brought your Bible, let me encourage you to open it to Romans 12:4-13, where God’s Word reveals to us how much WE NEED YOU!

So if you’ve found Romans 12, before we begin unpacking this text, lets do a bit of review. We are in a series called Rock Springs Family Values. We’ve identified five values that God wants us to embody in everything we do together as His people. As we embody these values we will be a blessing in whatever we do together.

Two weeks ago, we looked at our first value: Radical Inclusivity. Jesus includes anyone and calls us to do the same. There are no “ins” or “outs” with Jesus. As this value takes hold in us, we will see everyone as someone Jesus wants to love through us.

Last week, we looked at our second value: Extravagant Generosity. Jesus gave his all so He could change us all – that we might give like him. As this value takes hold in us, we will give of ourselves, our time, our talents and our treasures in everything we do.

Now today, we’re going to unpack our third value: Mutual Interdependence. Jesus put us together to do life together. There are no lone rangers in God’s family. We need each other.   And that’s just what we see here in Romans 12:4-5

We Need Each Other For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:4-5

When God called you to faith in Jesus, at the very moment you believed, you were adopted into His family and placed into the spiritual body of Christ. At that moment you not only became spiritually connected with Jesus, but you were spiritually connected with every other person who believes in Jesus.   That’s why you can have an immediate kinship with a believer you’ve just met. We have a spiritual connection.

But in these verses Paul is describing OUR FUNCTION together within this connection. It’s a perfect picture, because if you understand how your body works, all the parts work together. There are no parts of the body that work independent from the whole. If that happens we don’t function very well. We end up in the hospital, in bed, on crutches. We understand how all the parts of our body are needed for us to live. They all belong to us. And when we apply that understanding to our place Jesus’ body, it begins to make sense: If we belong to Jesus, then we belong to each other.

If you let that truth sink in it should change how you see your life. You are no longer an independent operator, running your own lives irrespective of others. God has connected you to His family. And because you now BELONG to every other believer in Christ, you are part of something so much bigger than yourself. You are part of what God is bringing together to change the world. You are now part of something where every person is significant, every person has something to bring to the table, where every person is important and every person is needed. We need each other. God designed His church for mutual interdependence. I need you and you need me. God has united you with Jesus so you never have to go it alone again. That’s good news.

But what is that we need from each other? Well, tell us. He says, We Need Each Others Gifts   Look at verses 6-8, We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Romans 12:6-8

When anyone comes to faith in Jesus, there is a new dynamic at work in your life – that dynamic is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ who takes up residence in you; Who imparts the life of Christ to you. And when He does He is the One who Opens your mind to understand God’s will and His ways; who Empowers you to love because He’s poured out the love of Christ into your heart, and who Gives you spiritual gifts so that when you do your part in God’s family, God can bless others through you.

You see, people get bogged down in passages like this, trying to figure out, just what their spiritual gift is. But that’s not the point. If you look at these verses, you can see that almost everything listed are things we are commanded to do anyway. We’re all commanded to teach one another, to serve one another, to encourage one another. We’re all called to be generous. We’re all given opportunities to lead our loved ones and friends on a daily basis. We are all called to be merciful – to forgive just as Christ has forgave you. So don’t get caught up in trying to figure out your gift.

What you and I need to get caught up with is BEING WITH ONE ANOTHER. For it’s in when we are together, doing life together, that’s when God’s grace can pour through you to bless someone. God has an abundance of grace He wants to pour through your life. But He can’t do that if you live a lone ranger Christianity. He can’t do that, if you are never connected with other believers.

You see, the emphasis in these verses is simply this: If God has given you a spiritual gift to bless someone with, then use it. Put it into practice: if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully; if its to give, give generously! So the question that needs answering here, is not “What’s my Spiritual Gift?” but “How can I be with God’s family so I can let God’s grace flow through me to bless someone?”

So where can you do that?  Well that’s where Neighborhood Groups come in. Up to this point in the life of our Church we have not launched Neighborhood Groups; we’ve just laid a foundation from them by starting Journey Groups. Journey Groups are groups of 3-5 men or 3-5 women who are following Jesus together – who are learning how to live and love like Jesus.  We have around 50 people following Jesus together in these groups. Journey Groups are the primary vehicle where People are Helping People Become Followers of Jesus. Where we are working to fulfill Jesus’ command to make disciples. This is part of our vision as a Church. We want to help everyone discover the joy of walking with Jesus and learning to live and love like Him.

But our Neighborhood Groups will be different from Journey Groups. Neighborhood Groups are where we will do life together. Neighborhood Groups are where we will put into practice the life God calls us to live. Because God put us together us to use our gifts to bless each other and bless those around us.

Let me give you some nuts and bolts of what I mean. This is one of four passages that list spiritual gifts. This passage lists seven gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12, list 11 gifts, Ephesians 4, lists 4 and 1 Peter 4 lists 2 gifts. But here’s the purpose of these gifts.         1 Corinthians 12:7 says: “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” “We Need Each Other! You have a spiritual gift that will help us be the Church God wants us to be. We need you.

This is why we have not started Neighborhood Groups until now. When I was at the Church Planters Boot Camp in August, I was asked a great question. And that question was this: What needs to happen for your Neighborhood Groups to be a success? It didn’t take me long to answer. Because the answer was clear. We need the right people in place to help make these groups function.   We need people with these gifts; who are then willing to use them to bless God’s people:

We need people with the gift of leadership – people who will champion the mission of the group. People who will keep the group focused on loving and including others who do not yet know Jesus, and who will help draw people into Journey Groups.

We need people with the gift of mercy – people who will bring others alongside to care for the sick and hurting.

We need people with the gift of administration – people who will plan, organize and include others in producing great meals for Gatherings.

We need people with the gift of faith – people of faith who will facilitate prayer for the people and mission of the group

We need people with the gift of hospitality – people who love to create a warm and welcoming environment for hosting their group

And If we can raise up a team of shared leadership filled with people with these gifts then our Neighborhood Groups will have a great chance of helping us become the people of blessing God wants us to be. So, yes, we need your gifts, so we can BE THE CHURCH together!

But that’s not all that we need. There’s one more thing, and that is this: We Need Each Others Love and Support This is the heart of mutual interdependence.   Here’s where Paul includes us all when writes in verse 9, Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13

This is Paul’s picture of God’s People living out their new life together. Our love must be sincere. It must be genuine, real. Our deepest need is to receive real love, not token love. That’s why God put us together in His body. That’s why we need each other. The world will not love this way. The world only loves to get something in return. But God’s love is not like that. God loves with no strings attached. He loves us when we are not lovable. He loves us when we are rebellious. He loves us when we are at our worst. And that takes real love. So God’s Word tells us to not fake love – but to take off our masks and be real with one another. For when we give real love, that’s when others will see Jesus in us.  After all, it was Jesus who said: A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

To love like this we’ve got to be together. We need each other’s genuine love. Be devoted to one another in love. You ever been passionate about something? God wants us to passionately pursue one another with His love. Honor one another above yourselves. Why? Because when we are honor someone: thinking of ways to build her up, encourage him, help her, we quickly forget about ourselves, and become the blessing God wants us to be. Never be lacking in zeal. In other words, keep stoking the fires of love. How do we do that? By serving them like we are serving Jesus!

You starting to get the point? We need you. You need me. We need each other’s love. This is just a small sample of the one another’s in Scripture. There are 64 One anothers in Scripture Here’s a few of the key ones: Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Gal. 6:2

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25

Wow. Mutual Interdependence: Do you see why God put us together? Do you see why we want to connect you in a Neighborhood Group? Jesus put us together to do life together. WE NEED EACH OTHER! We need each other’s gifts. We need each other’s love and support. Maybe its time we get it together and get together with one another. This is what Jesus died for. This is what He called us to be part of – His people joined together to be a blessing to the world. We are His people. We are His plan to bless the world. If we just learn to live in mutual dependence with one another. We need you. Let’s pray.