Grace 201
Involve
Step Two: Involve – Involving is about helping you to develop meaningful relationships at Grace Church.
Introduction
When asked what the most important Biblical commandment was, Jesus said there were two: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength...and love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” In other words, Christianity is about relationships. It is about a relationship with God and about our relationships with others.
Grace Church’s purpose is “Connecting people to Christ and to each other.” And, we believe the two are inseparable. When we become committed to loving God, we will end up loving other people. And, when we really love other people, whether we realize it or not, we will experience something of God’s love. Christianity is relational by its very nature.
That is why we are spending a whole course on relationships. If you want to get the most out of your experience with Grace Church, we recommend that you invest in relationships with other members and friends of Grace.
Biblical Principles about Relationships
with Other Christians
If God Is Our Father…
“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are…” 1 John 3:1
Though we are called to love all people, we have a special relationship to other Christians. If God is our Father, other Christians are our spiritual brothers and sisters, and experiencing the importance of these relationships enhances our relationship with God.
How Our Relationship with Other Christians Can Affect Our Relationship with God
“But I say, if you are even angry with someone,you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” - Matthew 5:22-24
Jesus is telling us that all relationships, including our relationships with other Christians, will encounter problems from time to time. Dealing with these problems in healthy ways not only strengthens these relationships but also strengthens our relationship with God.
Drawing Strength from Other Believers
“As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.” - Proverbs 27:17
We will simply become a stronger and more mature Christians through our involvement with other believers.
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
As stated in the scripture above, two people are better off in tough times. In times of struggles, doubt, or personal failure, our Christian brothers and sisters can be there to lean on.
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”- Hebrews 10:23-25
Even though we do experience God’s presence when alone, gathering regularly with the people of God, will strengthen our faith and encourage our hearts to continue in our journey with Jesus.
The Body of Christ
“Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, ‘I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,’ that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, ‘I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,’ would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’
In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.” – 1 Corinthians 12
The Apostle Paul tells us that the Church is the Body of Christ. And just as our human body needs the different parts to function as a whole, the Church Body needs different kinds of people and the unique gifts they bring.
Preserving and Protecting the Unity of the Church
“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.” – Ephesians 4:2-3
Paul prays for and pleads with Christians to treat each other with the same love and care we would give to our Lord. Our treatment of God’s people and our commitment to the unity of the Church can make all the difference.
Four Commitments
Below are four commitments we ask you to make. Now, you will not be shunned, looked down upon, or badgered if you do not make these commitments, but we do encourage them for your own spiritual growth and for your own satisfaction in being a part of Grace Church.
1. Attendance in public worship. Public worship is the primary way of connecting with God’s people. In order to really experience what being a part of a congregation is really about, you need to commit to being in public worship as regularly as you can. In Grace 101 we asked you to consider whether or not Grace Church was the right church for you. If it is, you should gather with the people of Grace weekly for public worship, as work and family commitments allow.
2. Meaningful relationships. As we have learned from the scriptures above our relationships to other Christians is key to our spiritual growth. Based on everything we have said so far, let’s add two things.
While pastoral care is a vital part of a pastor’s responsibility, people have relational needs beyond the scope of pastoral care. Our primary relational needs from the church and most of our spiritual nurture will come from relationships with other people in the congregation.
Some people believe that just showing up and participating in worship is all they need from church. For these people, Christianity is something to be learned and taken in like a lecture, or is something private between themselves and God. But to experience the fullness of the Christian faith one needs meaningful relationship with other Christian people, and this is why being involved is so important.
3. Being intentional about our spiritual growth. We will say more about this in our next course, but for now we want to just mention the need for a commitment to spiritual practices and to being involved in a small group.
4. Serving with Christ in the Church and in the world.
This will be covered in our final course, but for now we want to mention the need for a commitment to serving on a ministry team.
Summary of Four Commitments
To get the most out of your experience at Grace Church we encourage you to regularly attend public worship, to be open to meaningful relationships, to seek growth through spiritual disciplines and involvement in a small group, and to serve with Christ in the Church and in the world through participation in a ministry team.
In the next two courses, we will explore some additional reasons for these four commitments to Grace Church, but the bottom line is about relationships. For example, long before we go into detail about the church’s mission, you will probably be invited to a potluck meal, or to a small group, or to help serve as an usher. Our primary reason for asking you to participate in Grace activities is to help you build meaningful relationships at Grace Church.
Some Final Thoughts
A commitment to being in and nurturing meaningful relationships with other Christians is vital to having a strong relationship with God. But we need to remember that meaningful relationships take time and effort.
People in the Church are as varied as the people outside the Church. Some will be easier to get along with than others. Some will be very committed to the spiritual life while others may be very superficial and materialistic. Some will be very spiritually mature while others will be at the very beginning of their journey with Christ.
And yet, being a part of the Church means making a commitment to this strange mix of people who have gathered around Jesus. And more importantly, it means seeking to build, with God’s help, meaningful relationships with God’s people
