Enjoying the Company
Over the last few weeks we have talked about the wisdom inherent in the Bible and that it should necessitate the bulk of your spiritual nourishment. You have been given the tools like a knife and fork to do the eating with practical steps on how to engage at the table. And this week we will be talking about the communal nature of the meal. This is us coming together and sharing from our own lives… and how we effectively take in the nourishment of God’s Word together.
More from Eat This Book
Teaching Notes
“… no matter who we are, when we open the Bible we read it through what we already believe. Yes, what we believe can be challenged by the Bible and lead us to shifts. But we can’t deny this important starting point: we start where we are, and where we are is what we already believe." Scot McKnight - Blue Parakeet
Acts 2:42-47
The Christian life is not just difficult to do alone. The Christian life is impossible to do alone.
We need each other so that we hear God’s word differently, see it differently, feel it differently and walk it out differently. As we are informed by, questioned by, and challenged by the faith journey of those around us.
Being in community leads to Spiritual Formation
~ Your imperfections will be exposed and you can either run or you can stay and grow
Community refines our character
~ What we believe we are good at when we’re on our own is put to the test when we are with others
- Safe space (First recorded in 2005–10)
a place that provides a physically and emotionally safe environment for a person or group of people, especially a place where people can freely express themselves without fear of prejudice, negative judgment, etc.
- Cancel Culture (First recorded in 2015–20)
the phenomenon or practice of publicly rejecting, boycotting, or ending support for particular people or groups because of their socially or morally unacceptable views or actions.
Jesus Contended with difficult people rather than Cancel them:
James and John sons of Zebedee See Matthew 20:20-23
Peter See Matthew 16:21-23
Dispute at a feast See Mark 14:3-9
Thomas See John 20:24-29
“No Christian who is going to love their neighbor as themselves wants people to approach them as somebody that’s cancelled. They want to be understood in their complexity rather than dismissed because of a dimension of their complexity.”
“The easy route is just to cancel people. The problem is we have to ask ourselves, Do I want to be cancelled because of my imperfections. What kind of mercy do we want? What kind of generosity do we want towards us. How much of an explainer do we want
to be able to give to people rather than have someone say, “You get no explainer!” “you’re out!” We need to be those who exercise that generosity toward others. This is a version of loving your neighbor as yourself.”~Dr. Vincent Bacote- Professor of Theology at Wheaton College
"We become like those we spend time with. Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble." Proverbs 13:20
This is your invitation. We’ll save a seat for you. Will you join us?