Last Sunday at our gathering by the sea, which we call 'Devotions by the Ocean', we discussed the model of the early church found in Acts 2:42-47, and began to take a deeper look into what we can learn from the folks that made up that group.
One thing that is obvious from the passage, is the sacrificial nature of the people who were striving to follow the Way of Jesus, and how that affected the community that they were becoming, and I must say, as I did Sunday, that without sacrifice, there will be no authentic community, for it requires a person to look first to the interests of others.
So then, when I think over the events of the past few years here at the Village Garage, and all of the people who have come through our doors, I have come to realize that Jesus has chosen to use them to teach us to truly love, and that we value them above the convenience of having our home to ourselves.
You see, a few years back, Christy and I (this is Tim speaking), began to evaluate our lives in such a way that we began to see what is truly important, and according to Jesus, that is to 'love God, and love others as ourselves', and we discovered that this world, these material possessions, will all pass away someday, and we will have no need for them, however, what we will always need, or should I say Whom, is God. He's what's important.
Now I'm not saying that it's not important to have a roof over your head isn't important, but I must never forget that Jesus Himself was homeless, and He reminded us of this in Matthew 8:20 & Luke 9:58, and He did so to remind us of the cost of following Him.
It never ceases to trouble me, that there is such a stark contrast between being a believer in Jesus Christ, and following Him, and as the days, weeks, months, and now years, go by, I have discovered that to truly follow His Way in today's world, can be very lonely. I guess that's just a part of the 'narrow road' that Jesus also spoke of, so I am learning to embrace that.
For many years I walked apart from God, and very seldom gave a second thought as to what Jesus might think of my lifestyle, but I was following the ways of this world, and wasn't concerned about much else, so being alone didn't have much of an effect on me. In fact, I liked it that way.
Loving, human contact was unimportant to me, and I spent many years creating a dark space where I could exist without letting anyone get too close (except my band mates) so community wasn't at the top of the list.
But then, in 2005, I encountered the risen Christ. The Jesus who calls us to take up our cross, turn from our selfish ways, and follow Him, and I decided that I wanted that more than any other thing in my life. Not only that, I realized my need for Him.
Getting involved in a local church, I began to use my gifts (music) in the ministry, and without taking too much time to share all of that story right now, let me just say that over the years (7 now) I have found that the Jesus of the Bible is hard to find in the machine of organized religion today, so I began to pray for God to lead me to where He is. Little did I know how much pain and anguish would be involved in this!
So then. Fast forward to today, and I can honestly say that there is nothing more important than my relationship with Jesus, and fulfilling His command to 'love God, and to love others', and I have found that it is in those acts that my real treasure lies.
As we gather at the beach today for DbtO, I hope to see an uprising of love. A pouring out of God's Spirit on His people, and may their mouths be opened by their hearts so that we might discuss what it means to know what your treasure is, so that we might place our bets, and go for broke. For Jesus
One thing that is obvious from the passage, is the sacrificial nature of the people who were striving to follow the Way of Jesus, and how that affected the community that they were becoming, and I must say, as I did Sunday, that without sacrifice, there will be no authentic community, for it requires a person to look first to the interests of others.
So then, when I think over the events of the past few years here at the Village Garage, and all of the people who have come through our doors, I have come to realize that Jesus has chosen to use them to teach us to truly love, and that we value them above the convenience of having our home to ourselves.
You see, a few years back, Christy and I (this is Tim speaking), began to evaluate our lives in such a way that we began to see what is truly important, and according to Jesus, that is to 'love God, and love others as ourselves', and we discovered that this world, these material possessions, will all pass away someday, and we will have no need for them, however, what we will always need, or should I say Whom, is God. He's what's important.
Now I'm not saying that it's not important to have a roof over your head isn't important, but I must never forget that Jesus Himself was homeless, and He reminded us of this in Matthew 8:20 & Luke 9:58, and He did so to remind us of the cost of following Him.
It never ceases to trouble me, that there is such a stark contrast between being a believer in Jesus Christ, and following Him, and as the days, weeks, months, and now years, go by, I have discovered that to truly follow His Way in today's world, can be very lonely. I guess that's just a part of the 'narrow road' that Jesus also spoke of, so I am learning to embrace that.
For many years I walked apart from God, and very seldom gave a second thought as to what Jesus might think of my lifestyle, but I was following the ways of this world, and wasn't concerned about much else, so being alone didn't have much of an effect on me. In fact, I liked it that way.
Loving, human contact was unimportant to me, and I spent many years creating a dark space where I could exist without letting anyone get too close (except my band mates) so community wasn't at the top of the list.
But then, in 2005, I encountered the risen Christ. The Jesus who calls us to take up our cross, turn from our selfish ways, and follow Him, and I decided that I wanted that more than any other thing in my life. Not only that, I realized my need for Him.
Getting involved in a local church, I began to use my gifts (music) in the ministry, and without taking too much time to share all of that story right now, let me just say that over the years (7 now) I have found that the Jesus of the Bible is hard to find in the machine of organized religion today, so I began to pray for God to lead me to where He is. Little did I know how much pain and anguish would be involved in this!
So then. Fast forward to today, and I can honestly say that there is nothing more important than my relationship with Jesus, and fulfilling His command to 'love God, and to love others', and I have found that it is in those acts that my real treasure lies.
As we gather at the beach today for DbtO, I hope to see an uprising of love. A pouring out of God's Spirit on His people, and may their mouths be opened by their hearts so that we might discuss what it means to know what your treasure is, so that we might place our bets, and go for broke. For Jesus
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