Home Group Ministry (ReDi)

ReDi Group Discussion for the week of November 8th

This week we move from Titus to Acts with an introduction to where we will be studying next. Bob introduces us to the author, what we know of him and his unique position to author both the gospel of Luke and Acts. He shares with us their connectedness and their continuity as he sets the ground for how we will approach this incredible record of the apostles and early followers of Christ, their work in birthing the early church, and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Acts as we know it is an unfinished book, but as we also know God didn’t stop working when the New Testament authors died. God is just as alive, powerful, and active in the lives of His people now as then and as He has been for all time. Just before His ascension Jesus told his followers to remain where they were for a time, and that He would soon be sending forth the promise of His Father upon them and then they would be clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49). The book of Matthew ends with these words, “and lo, I am with you always to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). John records for us a promise saying, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever, that is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be with you” (John 13:16-17). Then in Acts 1:8 we read the promise of coming Helper, “but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” And in Acts 2 we read the account of the coming Helper fulfilled. Scripture may be written now for all time, but the record of how this promise and this coming is still unfolding in the lives of the church and its individual members even today and will until the time of Christ’s return. His promises endure forever and cannot be thwarted in any way, shape or form.

ReDi group question

Like the early church, we go through phases.  Which phase do you think you’re in now?  Birthing or scattering?  What characteristics of either of these phases describe your life?  Who is reading your life’s version of Acts?  What would they say they learning from your life about what it means to grow in Christ?

ReDi Group Dicussion for the week of November 1st

 I would like to thank Tim and Debbe Zietlow before all of you for the work they have done in strengthening and growing small groups here at Calvary Crossroads. Last night was a good time of coming together as we were encouraged in this incredible opportunity we have to build into one another’s lives as we then reach outside our groups in other areas of service, sharing and caring.

By the way, last night Tim gave me credit for the questions you have each week. I have an important correction to that. After putting together the sermon for each week Bob takes the extra time to formulate the questions for the groups. I just get the privilege of seeing them and the sermon early, occasionally making a suggested change, and then getting to share them along with a few thoughts through this forum.

So, here goes this week’s thoughts….

This week as Bob again brings a message to us from the letter to Titus we find that it is the last one on the subject (at least for now). In his concluding sermon on this brief letter Bob brings our attention to a larger theme in the letter – that of good works, and in particular a look at a few people mentioned who had shown their good works through their faithful service.

When we put in place the small group structure that is encouraged here at Crossroads we did so desiring that at least five elements would mark each group meeting on a regular basis. These five are:

·   RELATIONAL DISCIPLESHIP TOPICS. By asking the 10 questions we provide an opportunity to delve into how the group members are doing in their own spiritual walk and development while also providing an opportunity to encourage one another in areas of struggle or setback.

·   BIBLE OR TOPICAL STUDY. Group time is more than a brief sharing of things on someone’s mind or a disconnected time of reading a book or studying a passage. It is crucial that we be people of God and of His Word, and as such it is important that we study what He has given to us – His Word.

·   SHARING OUR STORY. Caring deeply for one another means getting to know each other on an increasingly deeper basis. We need to provide those opportunities to not only share what God has done in our lives, but also to be current enough to encourage one another in what He is doing right now. Being open and regular in giving members opportunities for this builds not only intimacy with one another, but also with our God as we share together in His faithfulness.

·   OUTREACH/BIRTHING/MINISTRY. This may actually be the most neglected of most groups’ lives. As we walk with each other we need to constantly encourage one another in our faithful service to God, whether that be in the church, in our community, or between one another as we walk with Christians and non-Christians in the place God has put us.

·   PRAYER . We need to always be mindful that the One who gives us this relationship with one another is the One who gave us His Son so that we would have a restored relationship with Himself. Prayer is simply our communicating with and taking time to listen to our incredible God. All of the aspects of group life that precede this matter because He has made Himself known to us and expects us to spend time with Him. In a group setting we have the privilege of doing this together as we uphold one another before Him.

The church in Crete had a lot of problems, but Paul had an even greater hope. He closes his letter focusing on that hope reminding the Cretan believers that they need to be about sharing together in the salvation He had given to each one of them as they continually engaged in good deeds as a consequence of not only obedience but of their great appreciation.

Joe Burgess

ReDi Group Discussion

1. To what extent are you a good steward of what God has given you, investing your time, your efforts, and your money in those who are anxious to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth?  What can you demonstrate from your life in the past month that would indicate that you take this seriously, as a follower of Christ?

2. Can you point to the last time you made yourself available to Christ when it wasn’t convenient to your previously made plans?

Keep in mind, God does not ask us to be brilliant or beautiful, but longs for us to be available.  Not famous, but faithful.

3. What friendships have you developed through serving in a ministry together with someone else?

4. What is your attitude toward returning monies to the Lord that are already His, but He has placed in your stewardship for the furtherance of the Gospel?

ReDi Group Discussion for the week of October 25th

This week Bob is moving us closer to wrapping up our look at what to do when a brother sins, before we ever get to the point that we might reject him from our fellowship because of his insistence on continuing in sin. This time Bob is taking us to the very heights of leadership in the church – the elders themselves. This topic is dealt with specifically in 1 Timothy 5:19-22 where we read, “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thus share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.”

In looking at this passage it is broken down into its various subtopics with the first being that of when or when not the other elders are to even listen to an accusation against one of the elders. With their greater responsibility in the church often comes a greater tendency to be attacked, and for that reason accusations are to be dealt with more carefully. Scripture is pretty clear that in this case there has to be more than one who can attest to what has transpired. This doesn’t even get into what steps the individual(s) who might want to bring the accusation have gone through prior to this point. We always need to be mindful that our efforts need to be about not only protecting the flock but also restoring the erring brother to a correct walk. God holds elders to a higher standard in a sense and provides them with some greater protection.

Clearly we are not to ignore the sin of an elder once it is found to be true and persistent. If he refuses to repent and get back on track, then he needs to be removed from his position and dealt with appropriately in light of everything else we have already looked at. Again there is a lesson here not only for the whole congregation but in particular for the other elders of just what an important role they fill in the health of God’s churches, speaking here of the individual fellowships such as ours.

This is an important instruction and there is no one who is above it or exempt from examination. Paul tells Timothy that these things are to be practiced without bias or partiality. There is to be no “good old boys club” in any Christ-centered, Word-based church of God. And at the same time those appointed to the role of elder need to show that they really should be there, as we see in the final instruction that no one is to be appointed too hastily and thus be party to leading others astray because of immaturity or carelessness.

As the apostles died, the elders were left with the responsibility for overseeing and shepherding the churches left behind until Christ returns. It is a great responsibility and Scripture states over and over again that these men need to be regarded properly in their role. But their role is not, to be very clear on this, a distant and cold autocracy sitting on high looking down their noses at all under them. Elders are servants of Christ and servants of His church given a charge to care diligently for it in all ways just as Christ would do Himself. And the example of Christ is that He gave His life for His church.

Having served here at Crossroads for 11 years in this role and in a previous church as well, I know there are days and even seasons when elders can grow frustrated and weary (and might even need a break), but at the same time I know full well that it is something that God designed for His church and He brings joy and the strength to endure to those who are called and who take up the challenge. 1 Timothy 3:1 says, “It is a trustworthy statement: If any man aspires to the office of overseer [elder], it is a fine work he desires to do.”

Joe Burgess

1.    When you look back over this series on resolving conflicts caused by sin, what did you learn that you had never understood before? Has it made a difference in the way you listen to or help people in conflict? If so, how?

2.    Without naming names, can you share when a church you were a part of mishandled the discipline of a leader? What Biblical principle was violated?

3.    Can you recall a time when a church you were a part of handled the discipline of a church leader in a Biblical manner? What was the end result?

ReDi Group Discussion for the week of October 18th

I enjoy the Food Network. I recently saw an episode of the Next Iron Chef, and in that episode one of the contestants deconstructed a dish and served its pieces spread on the plate. It was this particular contestant that was sent home because she had not communicated to the judges the essence of what she had been chosen to prepare. By presenting the dish in pieces the judges felt that they were deprived of the enjoyment of the whole being brought together in a manner pleasing to their senses.

Sometimes it can be real tempting to look at God’s Word in pieces. I know that practically speaking we cannot sit down and read it cover to cover each time (or for that matter any time), but at the same time I think we can find ourselves taking a parable here, a biography there, a couple of verses on this subject and a few others on that and trying to make a whole picture out of the results. God declares that His entire Word is true and profitable, and we surely can learn valuable truths a few pieces at a time. But we need to mix this with times of getting the bigger picture.

This week Bob is taking us to another passage, Matthew 18:21-35, immediately following the passage we have been looking at in Matthew. In doing this he will also point us briefly to what had come before and expand a bit our understanding of just what it means to be about forgiving and restoring your brother when he sins.

As I was working through his written sermon I took some time to go past where he is taking us, into the next few chapters. And isn’t it amazing that immediately after a passage concerning our lack of forgiveness for repeated sin, comes a discussion of the most intimate of relationships where probably the most often repeated hurts occur – marriage, and a reminder that the only reason Moses allowed for divorce was because of the hardness of man’s heart. The concept of “I’ve had enough.” “He (or she) is not going to do that to me again.” “That is the final straw.” “I can’t believe this, etc…” becomes foremost and restoration and forgiveness get pushed further and further out of the picture.

Then comes a brief consideration of children who generally speaking have the most tender and forgiving of hearts. Pretty amazing!

Next is a consideration of the rich young ruler and a discussion of the cost we need to be willing to incur in following Christ. We are told that as long as we hold up anything as more important than a full surrender to God then it will be impossible to fully follow God. But, we are told; with God all things are possible.

And then, there is the encouragement of a reward for faithfully enduring. While you may not see it now, just wait for what lies in store. Wow!

And in a way of wrapping it up, Jesus brings the lesson back to the laborers in the vineyard who are rewarded not on the basis on their work but according to the generosity of their master. All of this to bring us to Jesus talking about His own death, burial, and resurrection.

If only they had heard Him them. But, no, the disciples next asked who was going to get the special places at that time. To this Jesus responds, that whoever wants to be the greatest must be the servant to many. This being said by God who became man to go to the cross and to suffer injustice that justice might be served for all eternity. If only they would get the picture. Jesus and his disciples then leave Jericho on the way to Jerusalem, and on that road they encounter two blind men. It was Jesus who gave them their sight and their response as we read in Matthew 20:34 was to follow Him. Jesus was on His way to the cross.

Joe Burgess

ReDi Group Discussion

1.    Can you share of a time when you felt far from God, and discovered that the cause was bitterness and unforgiveness? How long did it take you to get out of the prison of God’s instruction? What were the specifics as to how God got your attention? Although you may not be able to forget the wrong suffered, to what degree has the wound healed?

ReDi Group Discussion for the week of October 11th

2 Timothy 3:16 and 17 tell us that ALL SCRIPTURE is God-breathed and that it is profitable for teaching. Teaching is good thing. It is a great thing. How would we ever come to know anything apart for lessons taught and learned.

This same passage goes on to tell us that scripture is profitable for reproof and for correction. Reproof is the act of showing us where we have gone wrong and correction that of showing us how to get back right. Most of us learn the easy way some of the time and the hard way other times. Experience and logic tell me that the easy way of learning is less painful. Maybe that is why when I see someone else go through something I tend to make a mental note of how it went and let that affect how I go about a similar action. Kids are experts at this, especially if they are younger siblings. Yet, even with this knowledge I find that there are times I blow off experience and plow right in to something I know is destructive in some way and needing of that restorative process and to be readied for what comes next. This passage does not end there. It goes on the tell us that Scripture is profitable for training in righteousness that the man of God will be adequate equipped for every good work.

This week Bob is taking us to a passage of Scripture (1 Corinthians 5) where a whole church ignored the teaching of Christ and the apostles and had grown numb to sin in its own midst.  As a consequence of their hardness to proper teaching and obedience there needed to be some reproof, and that reproof on the part of one individual was extreme enough to include his removal from their fellowship.  A message was being sent loud and clear that persistent sin and a lackadaisical or tolerant attitude toward it was not to be accepted in the church.

The corrective action was also two-fold, as the church saw the act that Paul had encouraged to deal with the disobedience of the one the others might respond and turn from their own sin and follow in obedience resulting in them growing as profitable followers of Christ. But the action was not limited to the church learning from the example of the one. It’s direct intention toward the individual was that he might be convicted by his own sin, turn from it and come back to Christ and to fellowship in the church. And indeed, we have reason to believe in 2 Corinthians that this process was successful.

Scripture records not only the teachings of God about how we should live, but it is full of practical examples of good and bad. The last several weeks we have looked at what to do when conflict arises or sin raises its ugly head. This week we are taking a look of an example of it not being dealt with and then touching on what to do when one repents. Our God is so awesome in both His love for us and His working in and through us that we individually might be conformed to the image of Christ and that we as a church might be readied as Christ’s bride.

Joe Burgess

ReDi Group Discussion questions:

1.    As a Christian, what do you see your responsibility to be when you witness habitual unrepentant sin in another believer?

2.    Have you ever taken on this responsibility? If so, what steps did you follow?

3.    Without using names, how did the situation conclude?

ReDi Group Discussion for the week of October 4th

This week Bob concludes our look at Matthew 18, prior to looking at an example elsewhere in Scripture and then returning us to Titus where he wraps up this subject.

How we respond to those in leadership is important to God and important for the welfare of the community. In Romans 13 we find the same author of the letter to Titus, Paul, telling his readers to be subject to all governing authorities. And if this instruction can be directed to all authorities, how much more should it be so for those who know God and seek to follow His will as leadership inside the church. Paul writes in Romans 13:2, “Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” Yet we find with man that from the first sin forward he has a problem with submission, even submission to God.

But it is not supposed to be that way. We are not to be a rebellious people, but ones who are given to staying on the right side of authority and who are marked by our love for one another. Even when the world leadership is ungodly, we are to live godly lives. Paul goes on in Romans 13 to say that we are to owe nothing to anyone except to love one another (v. 8), and that love does no wrong to a neighbor (v. 10). And when we live this kind of life we have no reason to fear authority (v. 3).

 In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul is critical of a group of believers who would rather run out to the civil courts of the world than deal with issues of the church in the church. In verse 5 we read, “I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brothers...?” God’s plan for the church includes that there be “wise ones” given authority to deal with these matters, and just as we are not to thumb our nose at civil authority, God considers it a serious offense to thumb our nose at His authority in the church.

In Matthew 18:18-20 Jesus instructs his apostles and subsequently all church leadership, “Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.” Paul understood the authority given to the apostles, though he was not there with Christ. He understood that the health of the church needed them to have that authority. And in 1 Corinthians 5, which we will look at later, he demonstrates how he acts appropriately within that authority in matters of church discipline.

Elders are given great responsibility before God in nurturing His church, and it is something that we can all participate in by praying for the elders, standing with them in all matters, and most importantly by living godly lives while encouraging others to do likewise. When we stray, we need to confess ours sins before God, turn from that sin, and allow ourselves to be embraced by His already given forgiveness. In our dealings with others, we need to encourage them to do the same.

I am thankful that God chose to vest the leadership of the church in a body of men. I know that by myself I make many mistakes, yet when I have the benefit of others to bounce things around with or who watch for my shortcomings in a particular situation that better decisions are made and God’s leading is heard more clearly. Jesus knew exactly what He was doing when He left the important matters of church discipline in the hands on more than one human leader, and He had enough confidence to say that what these men bound here or loosed here that the same would be done in heaven. Does this mean that elders won’t make mistakes? No, but I trust that it does mean that when they do that they will be appropriately corrected once discovered. It also means that when they do their work properly the church will be much better cared for.

ReDi Group Discussion:

1.       Can you recall a time when you were resistant to any form of authority? What was the result, and what did you do to correct the situation or what would you do differently now knowing what you do?

2.       Have you ever been in a situation where church discipline was exercised to this last point of bringing it before the people and the sinning brother or sister then being treated as a non-believer? If so, and in light of our most recent teaching, how would you evaluate the process and its results if known to you?

3.       As a group, spend some time reviewing the process and discuss the importance of each step happening in the proper order and what safeguards this order has in wooing you or anyone else back to following after our Lord with your whole heart? What does this teach us about our God, His mercy and His grace?

ReDi Group Discussion for the week of September 27th

This week we return again to our study of Titus 3:9-11 and just how we are to handle conflict. Bob has spent a number of weeks walking us through Matthew 18, Deuteronomy 19, and other related passages, and it is to this topic that he returns Sunday.

Matthew 18 is not about getting our revenge or pound of flesh, but rather about turning a sinning brother back to following our Lord in obedience. From Deuteronomy 19 and the chapters preceding it we can gain a better understanding of our obligations. In Deuteronomy we clearly see that in judicial matters a number of witnesses to the infraction make the determination of error quite clear. At the same time, though, they also teach us that there is an important burden placed upon individuals and leadership to not react rashly when accusations are made, but to carefully investigate and confirm every fact.

In both the Old Testament and the New Testament individuals are intended to receive protection from one person rising up and making a public accusation against another without first having the truths of the matter being properly confirmed. One large difference between the instructions of Deuteronomy 19 and Matthew 18 is the advent of Christ and His overwhelming mercy and grace being extended to man.

Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 18:12-14, “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. Thus it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.”

Why are things to be brought out into public in the church? They are to be made public because other more private efforts to restore an individual have come before, and the individual continues to persist in his sin. They are to be made public, and the person exposed, because the body needs cleansing by purging it of those who would openly live in rebellion, as a warning to others to keep their eyes straight ahead, and very importantly so that we might all participate in the effort to woo the individual back to God.

But before we ever get to that point it is our responsibility to try to resolve the matter in as narrow a manner as possible. We need to be mindful that not every offense needs a response, and then that every response made needs to be prayerfully, carefully and scripturally measured. How many Christians does it take to change a light bulb? I don’t know. Sometimes I do it just fine myself. Other times I need a bit of help.

Joe Burgess

ReDi Group Discussion for September 27th

1. When you or someone else you care about is wronged. Is your first desire to “win” the one who has wronged you or the one you care about? How should this affect the way you encourage others who have been wronged to “win their brother?”

2. Can you point to a recent situation where you felt wronged, and you have struggled to forgive your brother who has wronged you?

3. How would you describe the challenge elders face when dealing with conflict, disputes and sin amongst the believers in the church family? How can you assist them in their service as shepherds to the flock?

ReDi Group Discussion for the week of August 30th

Sorry I missed last week, but I really enjoyed our family vacation to the coast. It was truly refreshing, and as a camera nut a real joy to visit Shore Acres and take over 160 pictures of flowers and bees (they’re on my Facebook wall). The intricacy of construction of the huge variety of flowers is an incredible picture of the extreme detail that God has given to His creation. Even if many of them have been tweaked by man, the building blocks are God’s. How much more does he care for each of us and for His church – the bride in preparation and waiting. During our visit I also noticed some spider webs and enjoyed their complexity and beauty while knowing full well that they were built with a purpose. I am mindful in thinking of those webs that none of us can fully know the complex mind of God, but we can know a great deal because He has revealed it to us in His Word. And as the web is complex working together for a fuller purpose spun by one spider, so is God’s Word more than a collection of dangling strands but rather a complex counsel breathed and knit together by His Holy Spirit. Studies like we are in now emphasize the importance of not only the individual strands but also the intricacy with which they were knit together. Praise God for the fullness of His counsel.

For several weeks we have been in the midst of looking at Titus 3:9-11 and studying what we are to do when conflict arises. In doing this we have had to bring into our focus a few other passages which help paint the path for us to deal with situations where one Christian sins against another or when there is conflict that just has to be dealt with. One of the key passages is Matthew 18:15-20, and in fact it is the one on which we have and will likely spend the most time. But in gaining a more complete understanding of Matthew 18 we have looked at and will continue to look at Deuteronomy 19, from which Jesus quotes in Matthew, as well as 1 Corinthians 5 and 1 Timothy 5.

Up until this point we have primarily looked at efforts of those directly involved in the conflict to resolve the conflict. Now we find ourselves moving to the situation where others who may not be familiar with the situation are being brought in to try to bring resolution and restoration (Matthew 18:17). It is also at this point where judgments are also to be rendered as necessary and appropriate. In Deuteronomy 19:15-21 it was the priests and judges who were to get involved at this point. Elsewhere in the Old Testament we find that it was the elders of the city and even Kings and other rulers. Solomon was known for his wisdom, and in particular the situation where he commands a baby to be divided in half knowing the real mother would not let this happen had people revering him. In the New Testament we find the men given this responsibility to be the disciples who Jesus instructed and later the elders who are given oversight of the church.

There is some difference in how this portion of Matthew 18 is understood, and Bob will go through with us the process he has come through in coming to understand this passage and hopefully prepare each of us to critically look at difficult passages for ourselves.

Indeed resolving conflict when two people are at odds with each other is not an easy thing. Convincing someone of their sin is often not easy as well. But there are times when it has to be done. God has put in place through each time an appropriate body to do this, and in each case it has involved the leadership of His people.

James tells us that if any of us lacks wisdom to ask of God, but to do so believing that He will answer and then don’t waver about His answer. His Word is our standard and our guide. We need to make sure that when we deal with one another that we are people who run to God first and rely fully on the truth revealed in His Word. Remember that even while we were sinners that Christ died for us. In our dealings with a sinning brother, our goal should always be first and foremost his restoration.

As with the steps looked at so far, this is not the whole story, but only a piece of a larger study which we are walking through together.

Joe Burgess

ReDi Group Discussion:

When Elders are called upon to make decisions of any kind, what is to be the basis of their decision? Is there anything else the Elders need in order to make decisions that bring about church family unity and growth? If so, what?

ReDi Group Discussion for the week of August 16th

Last week was vacation Bible school and our theme this year was Bodyworx. There is so much that can be said about the week, but there are a couple of things that I want to focus on here as being particularly thankful for on a personal level. They are music and keys.

Concerning the music: besides the Bodyworx theme song which constantly reminded me that it is God who makes my body work and who gives me strength, there were also the daily songs dealing with the firm foundation we have in Christ, the fact that our God sees absolutely everything and He wants us to keep our eyes open and on Him, that we cannot live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, that beyond knowing God’s word we need to listen to it and in listening obey, and lastly to guard our hearts for they indeed are the wellspring of life. These bouncy little tunes continually rambled through me and helped to keep me on track. Even with vbs over I still find them bouncing around.

Concerning keys: On Monday I lost my keys. I really did lose my keys. It was not a vbs prank to encourage the kids to keep their eyes open. I spent hours looking and cleaning and still did not find my keys. On Tuesday I told the kids that I had lost them, and that while I did not know where they were, God did. I encouraged them to look. All week I functioned with keys out of the key box, and I kept reminding the kids to keep their eyes open. On Friday morning I was sitting at the computer desk in the auditorium and I heard a voice inside say that there was a hole in the top of desk for the cables to go through. So, being smart like I am, I went to my office and grabbed my flashlight. Sure enough, what once was lost was now found.

These next several weeks Bob moves into a new section as we consider Titus 3:9-11, one which again will take quite a while as we build a bigger picture. We will now be looking at how we get along with one another and the issue of how we deal with each other when someone sins. Specifically, Paul is writing to Titus about maintaining unity in the church. In the first week of looking at this topic Bob will begin a consideration of how to correct a sinning brother and our own approach to that brother.

As I consider this topic I am mindful of the residual lessons from vbs. As the vbs music reminds me to guard my own heart, I need to deal with others and their sin with a heart to see them restored to God and united closely with the body. He is our firm foundation, and as was said in one of the skits – without it we would be a blob. And as the keys remind me that our God does care about that which is lost and more importantly those who are lost either to spiritual death (needing salvation) or to having lost their direction for the moment (needing restoration), I need to have that same desire as I deal with others.

We all need to be continually renewed, and I am so thankful for those people in my life who have faithfully challenged me when necessary to get my eyes back on God and to then keep my feet moving straight ahead. I did not get this all sewn together last week, and have been powerfully reminded of this need that we each have for one another and that we treat each other in consistently loving and truthful ways.

ReDi Group Discussion:

What have you learned from this lesson that was new to you? What difference do you think it will make in your approach to dealing with future wounds that come from the hands of those who are fellow Christians?

ReDi Group Discussion for the week of August 2 (Titus 3:5-7)

Have you ever experienced any futile thinking or received futile type advice. “Why don’t you just pack it in and quit? In the end it won’t change anything.” This kind of thinking is not uncommon in the world, and in some ways it is not even that uncommon in the church, while maybe for different reasons. The world has no hope beyond today because it has no anticipation of what will exist after the individual ceases to exist other than leaving something nice for those who follow. The church has in some ways bought into futile thinking with distortions such as, “I’ve read the end of the book.  Jesus comes again. The world falls apart. So, why bother. Maybe He will just come sooner.” Or, “Yea, God is able to do whatever He wants, but why should He care about me. It seems like I really don’t amount to anything or cant’ do that much, and what I can do I don’t do that well.”

For the past couple of months Bob has been teaching us about several key terms that are important to understanding who we are in Christ and showing us how we are intended to grow more like Him. All of these things should give us hope, not a wishy-washy kind of hope – but real hope. It may be very true that our economy is in the tank. It may be very true that a culture of death toward the preborn and the elderly and infirm is being forwarded through legislative and judicial means. It may be very true that our world is “going to hell in a hand basket” as the phrase goes. But none of these things change the fact that the Creator God has personally reached into our lives and given us new life, that our Sustainer God is continually working to make it so that we can stand in the midst of any circumstance, and that our Healer God has committed through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to renew us to the image of Christ and to lead us into eternal perfection.

Our God does not go on vacation. He is not fickle. He is not impotent. He is the all-powerful, all-seeing, everywhere present, always in control, compassionate, merciful, long-suffering, just and loving God (the list could go on and on) who has made Himself known to us. He encloses us before and behind. He holds us with His strong right hand, and He is intimately acquainted with absolutely every big and little thing about us (Psalm 139). This is the God who we are to look to for everything, and He absolutely will not fail.

So, while the world wishes things would get better and tries as best it can to put in place policies or humanitarian efforts, the end result might only be making eternal death a little less painful to approach. As children of this most incredible God we have real hope, a hope that we can share and a hope that when we engage maybe in those same activities that the world does that we can do so pointing people to the God who cares deeply and has the power to do something about their deepest needs. This is real hope. We can and are intended to do good deeds, because we have been sent by the one who had done the greatest good. He came that we might have life and have it abundantly. It is our task to let others see that life, taste that life, and help them to know how they can experience that life.

Titus 3:5-7 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Joe Burgess

ReDi Group Discussion:

What can you point to in the past week that is evidence of a Biblical “good deed” you performed?