This morning we're beginning a new series we're calling "Better Together." We spent a lot of time looking for a way to capture the essence of this series--and then we found this awesome photo!
Too many people have what we could call a "fishbowl mentality." So on the one hand, people isolate themselves from authentic connections and relationships. You go out for dinner as a family, and everyone has their head buried in their phones or devices. You go to work, and everyone is in their cubicle blankly staring into their monitor. You drive home and what do you do? You pull into the garage, draw down the shades, and turn on Netflix for the night. People don't know how to carry on a conversation, build friendships, or even make basic eye contact!
People express tremendous loneliness and isolation. Have you noticed? There is a lot of sadness and depression. People aren't at peace with themselves, nor with others. Don't kid yourself. No one is ever "Better Alone."
At the same time, from their isolated fishbowls... people broadcast everything about their lives on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! It's like people live in a glass bowl. People expose everything about their lives on social media for everyone to see! "Look what I'm about to eat." "Look at my bloody scar from my gory surgery." "Check out my lonely selfie." The sad thing about social media, is that no matter how transparent we make our fish bowl, it doesn't change how isolated and alone we feel. Social media provides a way of "kind of being together" while amplifying our loneliness.
Goldfish are pretty docile creatures, right? The longer we remain isolated, the more apt were to become like a BETTA. Do you know what a Betta is? It's those funky bluish fish they stack in mini fishbowls on the endcaps at Walmart. Everyone wants a goldfish, nobody wants a BETTA.
I've always wondered what the life expectancy of a BETTA is. What is it, 10% get knocked off the shelf, and 90% die in Walmart's parking lot? Not only do Bettas live alone, if you put them w/another Betta, they kill each other!
Some churches have a GOLDFISH bowl culture... some churches have a BETTA bowl culture. In a GOLDFISH bowl culture, people are just isolated. In a BETTA bowl culture, not only are people isolated, but they attack and devour anyone who swims near.
Let's do some confession...
How many of you have killed a Walmart BETTA?
How many of you have a family member who killed a Walmart BETTA?
Does anyone here have a living GOLDFISH?
How many of you have killed a GOLDFISH? Lara had goldfish named Merlin, she got it at the Fair. It lived for years. And then it died.
This series is about God calling us out of our fishbowls to be BETTER TOGETHER! No longer isolated. No longer alone. But BETTER TOGETHER.
Of all the books of the Bible, I think the book of Philippians helps us understand what it looks like to be BETTER TOGETHER. The language of togetherness permeates Philippians, starting with Philippians 1:2: "To all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, TOGETHER with the overseers and deacons."
But this idea of togetherness is best expressed in Philippians 1:3-5 where Paul says, "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now..."
Church is a "partnership."
This idea of partnership is a foreign idea to many churchgoers. What does it mean to be "partners" in the gospel? In Philippians partners have two qualities:
First, partners have real grit. A partner is like a fellow soldier, possessing courage and boldness. Soldiers are willing to lay down their life for something greater than their self-interest, personal survival, or personal ambitions. A partner is like a fellow worker too--it's a person willing to roll up their sleeves and do the work hard of the gospel.
In addition to real grit, partners have total solidarity. Partners "strive" together, "contend" together, "labor" together. There is a story in the Old Testament, there is a story in Genesis 11 where even God acknowledges the potency of a people united, working together. There was a time when the whole world had one language and a common speech. So one day all the people resolved to start baking bricks. "Come" they said, "let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we can make a name for ourselves..."
Now their intent was evil, otherwise God would have let them build their tower. But the Father, Son and Holy Spirit conferred. And the Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then NOTHING they plan to do will be impossible for them." (Genesis 11:6-7).
Even God marvels what together, a gritty/united people can accomplish! If evil people can do impossible things united together... then how much BETTER can we be TOGETHER AS ONE doing things for the good of man and glory of God?
Later in Philippians 1:27 Paul commends the Philippians for "striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose the gospel." But in Philippians 1:28 he takes it a step further, and explains how their grit and solidarity is a sign to God's enemies, a warning, they are about to be destroyed!
This is God's vision for Lakeside. It's that we'd have grit and solidarity. It's that we'd strive TOGETHER as ONE, as partners, for the faith of the gospel. It's that we'd be a force for Christ in this community and in God's world.
The military has a terrifying new technology known as "swarm" technology. You take a grasshopper, which by itself might be ineffectual against a threat. But you give it the ability to swarm--and soon a bunch of little grasshoppers can unleash a plague-like torrent of biblical proportions. So imagine a thousand boats circling their target. Imagine a thousand tiny drones buzzing toward a threat. Imagine a hail of bullets reigning down from an AC-130 gunship--in mere nano-seconds, each bullet coordinating it's attack, not a single bullet wasted, hitting with perfect efficiency.
Now imagine a gritty, united church, every member striving together, as partners, contending for the faith of the gospel. Satan would be terrified!
Now not everyone sees themselves as a "partner" in the gospel. Some people just see themselves as church attenders. You come, you park, you sing a little, listen a little, and you're good till next week. Some people see themselves as church consumers. On his blog, a pastor was lamenting a church down his street that installed a slurpy machine for its members. Jesus said, "come follow me..." He bid us "come, die..." But now churches bid folks, "come have a slurpy!"
Some people are spiritual mavericks. Spiritual mavericks don't do anything TOGETHER with others. They are a law unto themselves. They refuse to be accountable to the overseers of a church, or any church in general. They stand apart from the body, doing ministry "to" people instead of "with" people... they undermine, criticize, and distrust others. They move about, like rogue, free agents. They're like Walmart Bettas.
In contrast, PARTNERS have grit and stand in solidarity with the overseers, deacons, and the church as a whole... They can swim with others. As Philippians 1:27 shows, partners strive together as one for the faith of the gospel! Beware of those who refuse to stand in solidarity with the Church and its leaders. Not everyone in a church strives for the same things--there are some who just assume destroy and discredit the work of God than advance it.
Now when it comes to this idea of PARTNERSHIP, Jesus sets the agenda. So what is the agenda Jesus has set for Lakeside? When Jesus first met his disciples, he extended a simple invitation. He said, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Every breath of Jesus' earthly life, from the manger to the ascension, was given to helping his disciples come to him, follow him, and learn to fish for men. Everything the church has become from the first day until now is a testament of what can happen when just twelve, gritty, united men lock unto this simple invitation of Jesus. What if 50 of us... 100 of us... 500 of us locked onto Jesus invitation?
In your outline, I want you to take note of three things our partnership with Christ, in this church accomplishes.
First, we help people find Jesus
Do you realize that an estimated 73 million adults are presently unchurched? When teens and children are added, the total swells to roughly 100 million Americans. There isn't a single county in the United States where church attendance has come close to keep pace with population growth. It's our highest priority at Lakeside, as it was for Jesus, as it was for the early church, to help people find Jesus.
This past week while working on my sermon at Starbuck's, the barista who I have spoken to in the past gave me a cup of coffee. As it was approaching closing time, the barista came over and sat across from me. He asked me about what I was going to be sharing in my sermon. I told him I was talking about "goldfish". Then I explained the analogy of the goldfish and betta culture. He told me he had never read any Scripture. He started asking questions and it was there a dialogue began to point this young man to Jesus.
Second, we help people follow Jesus
Once a person responds to Jesus, the real work begins. If you're a parent, you know that having babies is the easy part. Raising a child is a whole other challenge. Helping a person find Jesus is the easy part. Helping a believer follow Christ is a whole other challenge. In Philippians 1:9-10, Paul prays that the Philippians love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. He prays that they would be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blamless for the day of Christ. He prays that they would be filled with the fruit of righteousness.
Later on Paul admonishes the Philippians to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. In Philippians 2:1-4 he pleads, "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. In your relationships with one another have the same mindset of Christ Jesus."
I think there is always a temptation to let a sleeping dog lay. But the essence of our partnership is that we struggle together, until Christ is fully formed in us. In every church there is going to be grumbling and complaining. There are going to be disagreements. People will act sinfully and selfishly. As partners, it's our duty to come alongside one another, and help one another grow. It takes a lot of prayer, a lot of wisdom, and lot of discernment to know how to approach one another. But as a church we figure it out, and we learn to move forward together.
Third, we help people flourish
When Paul mentions overseers and deacons in Philippians 1:1, we have to think long and hard about how to create ministry bandwidth and capacity. There is a story in Exodus 18, where Moses is taking pride in his ministry. On the surface, everything appears to be going well. But in reality, Moses is exhausted. He's sent his wife and children to be with his father-in-law. The work of carrying for so many people is taking a physical and emotional toll on Moses. Other leaders were not being given the opportunity to step up and serve. And worse, the people weren't being served well. Moses was spreading himself to thin!
But then Moses' father-in-law shows up, and rebukes Moses. He says, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. . . select capable men from all the people, men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves... if you do this... you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."
Every Moses needs a Jethro. What if Moses hadn't listened to Jethro? What if he kept managing every case, judging every matter, and refused to empower capable leaders? How long would he have lasted? The idea of partnership is that many hands are needed. One or two individuals, must not be allowed to carry the burdens God intended the whole church to carry. If Moses hadn't listened, he would have imploded.
So with grit and solidarity, together as partners we're committed to helping people find Jesus, follow him fully, and then flourish whether as disciples, leaders of 10s, 50s, 100s, or 1000s.