“Forgiveness only comes from God, but healing comes from confession in community…The one place in church life where James 5:16 has the best shot at being practiced is in a small group…The beginning of healing is revealing” (Better Together, 117).

I’ve personally experienced this recently. There was a “secret sin” I had been hiding. But with God’s help I finally mustered enough courage to confess it. It was freeing! I don’t have to hide anymore. I’m so thankful for my spiritual partners. If you’re not in a small group or don’t have someone you can spill your guts to, then you’re really missing out. Come out of hiding. Get clean. Be healed. Your spiritual life and the kingdom of God depends on it.   

Showing and sharing the gospel go hand-in-hand.

Thanks to JB Bryant for being our Local Missions Project Coordinator. Great job! 

Imagine 33 small groups throughout the greater Wayne County area praying, serving, loving, and reaching. I can’t wait to hear and see what God is going to do through us.

“My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

Today I made a list of 11 people I personally know who are spiritually lost. These are people in my circle of influence. It’s time for me to spend more time with these people, “making the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5).

“One of the deepest expressions of love is attention. We show God’s love to nonbelievers when we spend time with them” (53).    

“If Christians would open their homes and practice hospitality as defined in Scripture, we could significantly alter the fabric of society. We could play a major role in its spiritual, moral, and emotional redemption” (48). 

Maybe 20 people is a little high for a “small pond” like Orrville, Ohio. However, I really appreciate the bigness of that prayer. What would happen if we just started thinking bigger and believing God for the impossible? I’m reminded of a verse in Matthew 9. Jesus said to some blind men, “According to your faith it will be done to you” (v. 29). Is Jesus saying the same thing to our churches today? 

I’ve already heard positive comments about “This Must be the Place.” Rob and the band did a great job on this song. The lyrics are below. OCC must be the place. And we do it together!

Souls on the street, addicted to sin,

Selling themselves to survive,

Not understanding the hope they can find,

In a place where God’s love is alive,

They doubt that they could meet,

The standards necessary,

And fear that they’d find judgment,

Rather than a sanctuary.

The neighbor next door keeps the house looking good,

But the home is collapsing within.

Pressures of life pull the family apart

And temptations destruction begins.

They doubt the church could have

The answers necessary,

And fear they’d find rejection

Rather than a sanctuary.

This must be the place where a broken heart can mend.

This must be the place where the outcast finds a friend.

For we cannot lift the fallen if our hand still holds a stone,

And their sin that seems so great to us

Is no greater than our own.

There must be a point where sin meets grace,

And the church must be the arms of God,

Reaching out to bring them in,

To a place where they can find God’s love,

Regardless of their sin.

There must be a point where sin meets grace,

And this must be the place.

Copyright Steve Amerson Music (BMI) and Centergy Music (BMI)

“The best thing we can do to reach our community for Christ is to love each other. As we love people into God’s kingdom, we start first by loving other believers. Until the world sees the love of God modeled in Christian community, they’re going to have trouble believing it could ever exist. When we truly care for one another, we show the world a love so tangible and contagious that they can’t help but be attracted to it” (36).

It really is all about love.

Heaven is a perfect place so there won’t be disunity, jealousy, envy, etc. But won’t we notice who gets rewarded the most? Maybe not. Why do we need something more than heaven itself and being in God’s presence to motivate us while on earth? It would seem that God would be reward enough. Won’t our worship and focus be on God? Will our rewards really matter?

There’s a quote in the Day 6 reading in Better Together that triggered this. “The greatest rewards in heaven will be for love, and those who love the most will be the most rewarded” (33).

Any thoughts?   

If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God! You are now ready to discover and start living God’s purpose for your life. (Better Together, 25)

Notice that Rick Warren does not provide any Scripture references for the above instructions. The reason? There aren’t any. It’s amazing how easily we can stray from God’s Word. Believing and receiving Jesus is great, but we’ve got to do it the Bible way.

The prime biblical example is the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Peter preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the people responded by asking, “Brothers, what shall we do” (Acts 2:37)? Peter replies, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Peter didn’t say to the crowd, “Wherever you’re standing, I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper this prayer….” No, he said, “Repent and be baptized….”

Warren makes no mention of repentance or baptism. Why not?

If it’s good enough for Peter and the apostles, it’s good enough for me!

For example, if my Christian parents want me to go to college but I want to go into the military would it be unloving for me to go into the military? Do I always yield my preferences to others? Is it unloving to go after a personal goal that doesn’t seem to benefit someone else? Do I give in or compromise my vision for life for the sake of other believers? Is that loving one another?

Maybe I’m just reading the sentence wrong.

Help! 

These people are difficult to love. It takes every ounce of God’s grace within us to love these people. But we must love them. It’s not optional. If you’re a Christian, you wear and bear the name of Christ. He commands us to love. It’s how the world will know that we are His disciples.

“Love is Christ on a cross, dying for us” (Better Together, 19). Think about that. Can there be any greater picture or expression of love? I can’t think of one. Love is about dying to self. It’s about losing our lives in other people.

There are some people we probably don’t enjoy being around but maybe those are the people who will teach us how to love the most. There’s a reason God put them in our lives. Embrace it! Spend time with them. See them as a blessing, not an inconvenience.

I think that’s what Jesus would do.

Nathan Amstutz did a wonderful job on his solo. “Borrow Mine” really fit well with our theme. We need each other. Don’t run alone. We are better together!

One phrase really hit me in the Day 1 reading of Better Together. “Real love takes knowledge.” In what ways? It takes a knowledge of God. It takes a knowledge of God’s Word. It takes a knowledge of people’s needs. It takes a knowledge of the details in a person’s life (i.e. name, personality, favorite food, hobbies, etc.). What else do we need to know? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I pray that OCC will learn how to love more deeply and practice that love over the next 40 days. How can you love the people in your small group? What risks do you need to take? What do you need to know?