Back to Basics - Introduction

7/27/2019 Back to Basics - Introduction

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Good morning. Its really good to be here with you this morning and to be able to speak with

you for a few minutes about what God has put on my heart. We have been through a rough

couple of weeks together as a church family. Last week, I think Mike Fleming did a fantastic

job of outlining some key tools that we all need as we move forward towards healing. The

wounds that you feel and that I feel are still fresh, theyre still painful and theyre still

difficult. Myself, I started weekly counseling this past week. Its important that we move

forward as a church family but its equally and maybe even more important that we gethealthy before we move on. So I encourage you to do that. If you are having trouble doing

that, speak with me or with Pastor Jermaine or with one of the Board members or your

LifeGroup leaders. Dont let pain sort of fester under the surface or try to push it down. Lets

let it out, lets deal with it and then together well move forward. If you have unresolved

questions, please take the time to get the answers that you need now, directly from the church

leadership. Dont accept second-hand news about what has taken place and dont offer

second-hand news. Please ask all of the questions that you need to ask and get all of the

answers that you need to be able to heal and to be able to, in what limited ways that wereable, to understand what has taken place.

I want us to briefly together ask ourselves this question, collectively, as a church family: who

are we? Who are we supposed to be? What are we here for? Why do we exist? Why do we do

the things that we do?

In this time of healing, one of the best things that we can do is to return to the most basic

things. When youre lost, the best idea is to turn around and go back to the last place that you

knewfor sure where you werenot to act like a dumb man and just keep going and going,afraid to acknowledge that youre off course. So I want to do that together. I want us to come

back to the basics of who we are so that you and I can remember, together, why we are here.

So we are going to, for the next few weeks, focus on the theme of Back to Basics.

Today, specifically, I want to address some VERY basic things to lay the groundwork for the

next few weeks. You might be inclined to mentally check out and say, I already know

thiswhy are we doing this. I hear you. These are basic concepts but I feel a responsibility,

after what weve been through together, to focus right here for the moment.

Lets talk for a minute about some of the reasons that we are not here for as a church:

1.)We are not here to pay the bills and keep the facility running. This is vital for usandvital for you to know. If you know our story, you know that we have a real challenge

ahead of us in taking care of our financial responsibilities to take care of this building.

Weve talked about it way more than you or I or anyone else wants us to. If youre sick

of talking about paying for the building: join the club, Im the President. While we need


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to fulfill our financial obligations with regards to this building, that is not and will

never be our number one priority. Ministry to Gods people and serving our

community comes first; all other responsibilities come after loving people.

2.)We are not here to just play church. What I mean by that is that we are not here to gothrough the motions or to just do church-looking things because thats what

supposedly good people do. Im not interested in that. Were not here to pretend. So,

when you come in the doors on Sundaystake off your mask. Loosen up, be yourself.We have to be an environment without pretentionwhere people can genuinely be

themselves, say how theyre feeling and just flat-out be authentictrue to who God

made them to be and where they really, truly are in their journey right now. Not who

they want people to think that they are. But who they really are. Within the problems

that were facing right now as a church, there existed a root problem of transparency

and integrity from the pulpit. That cant be the case anymore. So I come to you telling

you this morning that Im a broken, sinful person who in very real, tangible ways has

failed throughout my life and who continues to fail and sin. There are broken parts ofme and wounded parts of me. You dont need to put on anything when you come into

this place. In fact, we should have no patience for anything that is put on or phony.

3.)Lastly, were not here to entertain. There has been a move within the church in the last100 years or so to move away from true worship and truth-telling into entertainment. If

you come here on Sunday looking for entertainment, Im afraid youll be sadly

disappointed. There is always going to be more fun more entertaining places to be

that you can think of. And thats okay. Because our purpose is not to entertain. Its not

to make you feel good about yourselfnot solely. So, if you say to yourself: Thatchurch I know of is more fun or is more entertaining youre probably right. And thats

okay with me. Thats not who God has called us to be.Im not the most outgoing or

charismatic person in the world, its not in my nature. I wont entertain you for

longso dont ever come expecting that.

So, with all of that having been said, what ARE we here for. Whats the point of this group of

people that we call The View Church.

1. We are here to worship God together as a family. We are here to worship God as a family.Worship is one of the really valuable things that we do together. Its the first thing that

we launch into when you come into the service on Sunday. We even call it the

worship service. From the beginning of the Bible to the end of the Bible we see

people worshipping God. Worship is something that is built into the heart of who we

are as people. In fact, in ministry, we say that everyone is worshipping something; it

just so happens that oftentimes that something isnt God.


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Lets look at what the Bible has to say about worship. Hebrews 12:28-29 says this:

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful,

and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming

fire. Ive always loved this Scripture. If you look at it in the original Greek that it was

written in, it says, so latreuo God acceptably Latreuo is an interesting word

because it has its roots in a word that kind of means servant. So, we make a

distinction here that worship is not about singing our favorite songs, it isnt aboutenjoying the music, it doesnt have to involve music at all. Worship is wrapped up in

the idea of doing something for Godan act where we are offering ourselves to God.

In worship, we are responding to all of the awesome things that God has done for us

and given us and we are responding to that in the ways that we know naturally within

us to show appreciationand everyone is differentevery person shows appreciation

differently and every person worships a bit differently. Worship is

consumingbecause God is consuming, just like Hebrews said. Some people worship

quietlyreflecting and meditating on the goodness of God. Other people worshipmore loudlymore excitedly. They raise their hands to worship (which is totally good

because Scripture talks about worshipping God by lifting our hands.) They clap. They

might shout praises. And in between these two people there are a million other

different ways in which people worship and feel that they are best showing their

appreciation. None of these ways are right or wrong.

And so, we as a church, worship together. Why does it matter that we do it together?

People say to me a lot of times that they can just as easily worship God in their boat on

a Sunday morning as in a church. And as someone who cant stand a lot that happensin the modern church AND as someone who loves to go fishingI hear what theyre

saying. But let me tell you this: its not the same. It isnt the same within us. We are

absolutely called to worship God in all things. And Im not the church warden. If you

have somewhere that you truly need to be or you get made to come into work on

Sunday, you dont have to worry about what I think about you or what anyone else

thinks. I dont feel that way and its not about that. What I do feel is that I miss you

when youre not here. Worship is not about obligation and its not about a building and

its not about a song. Worship is about what happens in and what flows out of the

heart. The heart is what we call this intangible thing within us that we cant see but that

we know is there.the place where what we do and say generally flows from. We feel

in our hearts. We hurt in our hearts.

So why do we need to come together to worship as a church family? Why does it

matter? God has called us to live in community with other people and not to be

isolated. God created us for community and he created us for worship. Worshipping

with others allows us to speak with a unified voice to God about how He has not only


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blessed us as individuals but as His people in generalas his children. When I see

other people worshipping, I am encouraged. I think thats natural. When we are feeling

weak, being in the presence of other people who are worshiping lifts us up. When

others are weak we stand in the gap and worship for them. We thank God for them.

We do this together as a family. Just as there is great value in a family eating dinner

around the table together even though they can eat sitting around the television, so

there is value in Gods people worshipping together as a church family.2. The second thing that we are here for is to learn about God and his purpose for us. We

are here to learn about God and His purpose for us. Did you know that you were

created with a purpose? You were. You were created by God with a purpose and the

most important step in uncovering what that purpose is is to learn about Gods story as

revealed in Scripture. The Bible is a living thingbreathing lifespeaking truth into

us. Scripture reveals a great deal about who we were created to be and what we were

created to do with our lives. There are a lot of different places that we should be

learning from Gods word. We should learn on our own by studying Gods word andreading trustworthy Bible teachers. We should be a part of a small group where we

study the Bible in a setting where we are able to take a passage of Scripture and

examine it together and hear how other people see what God is saying. All of those

different people in that small group have had different experiences and bring fresh

perspective on what God is saying and how the story of Scripture applies to their life

and to yours.

Youve heard me say before that small groups (here we call them LifeGroups) are the

backbone of the ministry that happens at The View. We really believe that. There is justsomething about the small group dynamic that God uses to grow His people. The Bible

calls what happens there discipleship. Just as Jesus called a small group of people to be

around him to disciple themto teach them and to live life together with themwe

are called to do the same. Jesus taught his disciples and they learned together. We do

the same thing together as a church family.

On Sunday mornings, this is not the primary teaching that you should be getting. If

you only come here on Sunday mornings and expect to grow in your knowledge of

God and His word, youll be disappointed. We have just a few minutes here in an

environment where youre only hearing from one man or womans perspective. We try

to make sure that that person is skilled and trustworthy and we believe there is value

to the teaching here. Otherwise I wouldnt be bothering to stand here and teach. But no

teaching on Sunday morning can compare to the deep reflection and study that

happens within a small group. Proverbs 27:17 says, Iron sharpens iron, and one man

sharpens another. Thats the dynamic that were talking about. We grow better when

were growing togetherand learning together.


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The early church, we know, put a lot of effort into teaching. Throughout the Book of

Acts, which is a record of the earliest days of Christs church, it says that the Christian

leaders went, in the temple and from house to house and they did not cease teaching

and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Learning is an integral part of growing in our faith.

It isnt the onlything that mattersand this isnt about being smart or about knowing

more about the Bible than other people. This is about learning who God is in the

deepest parts of your heart and finding your place in Gods story.3. The third point is this: We are here to commune together around Christs table. We are

here to commune together around Christs table. Commune obviously being where we

get the word communion from which we just celebrated together a bit ago. Often in

evangelical churches like ours we dont place much emphasis on what happens around

Christs table but throughout the New Testament this breaking of bread as it is often

referred to is seen as one of the most important things that the early church did.

Across the Christian spectrum there are a wide-variety of ideas about what happens

here around Christs table. Even without our own body there are those of us whoprobably have degrees of difference in how we perceive Communion or the Lords

Supper. Thats the nature of being an interdenominational church like we are. But,

heres what we can know together: Communion is not something that happens as an

individual. Its difficult to break bread together by yourself at home. We come

together here to gather around Christs table meeting each other hereevery one of us

coming as sinners in need of the grace that was purchased by the breaking of Christs

body and shedding of his blood. Youll often hear me make reference to the fact that

when we come to this table we arent just meeting one another within this local churchhere but were meeting with the millions upon millions of other Christ followers who

do the same thing as they follow Christs command to do this in remembrance of me.

We come to the table joining the tradition of the millions of Christ followers from

centuries and millenniums pastthey arent ghosts showing up here literally but we

are joining them by breaking bread just as they broke bread in their lives and looking

forward to the day when we will break bread together, all of us, in the Kingdom of

God.

4. The fourth thing that we are here to do is to serve God and our community. We arehere to serve God and our community. Earlier, when I was talking about worship, I

talked about the Greek word latreuo. I mentioned that it, like so many of the words that

are used in the original languages of the Scripture, have a lot of meaning wrapped up

in one little word. Latreuo has within it the context of serving being a form of worship.

I am a big believer in the fact that one of the vital things that we do when we come

together as a church family is serve the community. I couldnt care less whether people

in the community are impressed with our building or our programsbut I care


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immensely whether or not they are impressed with the way in which we love our

community through serving them.

One of the things that I feel the happiest about looking back over the last four years is

that fact that we have, together, been a people of service. From Appalachia to Joplin to

Cairo to Louisvilleand points in betweenwe have served God and our neighbor

together. I dont say that to pat us on the back at all. I say that to remind you of who we

arewhat we areat The View Church. It can be easy in times that are difficult such asthe one that weve been going through to forget the good. Dont do that. We will not be

robbed of the vision that God breathed into us as a church to go and to serve.

We believe that every one of you, each of you, was born with gifts given by God to

build His Kingdom hereto make a difference in the lives of Gods people and Gods

creation. 1 Peter 4:10 says this: As each one has received a special gift, employ it in

serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. To paraphrase

that, Scripture is saying, Each of you has been gifted with special talents and abilities.

Use these to serve one another, not wasting what God has given you but living in thegreat grace of God. Thats a beautiful thing and its one of the most important things

that we do together as a body.

5. Fifth point: We are here to share our joys, sorrows and our lives. We are here to shareour joys, sorrows and our lives. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Galatia, Carry

each others burdens and in this way you willfulfill the law of Christ. He wrote to the

church in Rome, Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Paul

saw the immense value of coming together as a family to share in each others lives.

Life is hard. Terrible things happen. Tragedy happens. We were not made to surviveand get through these things on our own. We were made to deal with these things in

communitylifting each other up when times are hard. On the flip side, there is so

much joy in this world. Amazing, awesome things that God does in our lives. And we

arent made to keep those to ourselves or only celebrate when good things happen to

usbut to celebrate together as a family.

As we go through this difficult time that we are in right now, we absolutely have a

responsibility to grieve with those who grieve. Every person reacts to painful situations

in different ways and each of you have had different relationships with Josh. Those of

you who are deeply wounded: be honest about that and allow the people around you

to lift you up. Those of you who arent hurting but are angrythats okay and it makes

perfect sensebut use that anger to motivate you to do gooduse that energy to pick

up those around you who are hurting and need you to lift them up. Dont spread your

angerthats not the way to heal. But grieve with those who grieve. And as we see

God use this situation to build His Kingdom and as God brings restoration one person

at a timewe will celebrate those things together. Because thats what a family does.


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6. The last point is this: We are here to experience true grace and freedom. We are here toexperience true grace and freedom. Gods great gift to us as Christ followers is grace

and freedom through the work of Christ. Weve been given grace and weve been given

freedom from the things that would chain us down and hold us back. But within a

church family, we are able to live those out in their healthiest ways. A church family is

here to show you grace, we show each othergrace when we fail. The world will eat you

alive when you fall down. Thats how it works. But within the familythat cannothappen. Within this family we do not eat our own. We are people of grace and

freedom. We want to see people forgiven of their sins and set free from the things that

have enslaved them and kept them from God. As a family, we do this together. If you

dont have a healthy church family, you will be consumed by the world around you

where there are many people sitting and waiting for you to screw up. But within the

family, let that never, ever be. Never, ever take joy or feel happy about the falling of

another person but be ready and even excited to offer them a hand to lift them back up

again. We dont shackle people to their past but we empower them to walk boldly intothe future walking in the fullness of who God created them to be. Thats who we are as

a family.

Over the next six weeks, we will focus each week on one of these points. The teaching will

focus around helping all of us to return to the basic aspects of who we are as a family.

There are very few churches who experience the kind of awful experience that we are

presently experiencing. And there are even fewer who survive them. Thats a sad reality.

But Im telling you this: if you, individually, and as a family commit to living out the

things that weve talked about this morning and will talk about in coming weeksif you

live those things outnot only will we survive but the church will thrive. People are

watching us. Tens of thousands of eyes around the region are on The View Church to see:

what are these people going to do? And theres two basic options. We can become

consumed with anger and bitterness. We can allow gossip and worthless talk to take over

our time. We can battle and feud with one another over trivial things. And we can die an

ugly death that robs Christ of the opportunity to show His power. Thats one option. The

other option is that we can pull together. You can watch what you say and speak positive,

uplifting things. You can fasten yourself to your brothers and sisters within this churchfamily and commit to riding out the storm together and praying and believing that God is

going to show up and do something great. Theres two options. My hope is that you will

choose the second optionthe option that will allow God to heal your heart and the hearts

of those around you and to put back together what has been broken and create something

beautiful, a beautiful testimony to God being in control and able to do all things.

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Back to Basics - Introduction